Fed: Detainee 10 days into hunger strike, alleges corruption

AAP General News (Australia)
12-29-2005
Fed: Detainee 10 days into hunger strike, alleges corruption

By Tara Ravens

SYDNEY, Dec 29 AAP - Detainees at Sydney's Villawood detention centre have accused
a senior staff member of running a drug trafficking business.

The claim is contained in a letter signed by 62 detainees at the centre and forwarded
to the Commonwealth Ombudsman on behalf of an Indian man who they say has been moved into
maximum security for speaking out about the issue.

The immigration department said today they had not previously heard of the allegations
concerning the staffer, who is also accused of running an illegal CD burning business.

The letter names the person, but the department would not be drawn on whether they
would be subjected to an internal review.

The detainees say former Sydney taxi driver Harrinder Kharbanda, 36, has been on hunger
strike since he was forcibly removed from his stage two cell on December 19 after trying
to take some food into his room.

The letter says he is being unfairly punished for speaking out about the alleged corrupt
conduct of a senior staff member at the centre.

"He runs drug trafficking and an illegal CD burning business," the letter said of the
staff member.

"He often tries to intimidate the detainees by threatening or assaulting us with the
help of those officers who work as a bunch of thugs.

"His corrupt acts are well known among the detainees in stage two and if someone tries
to take some legal action, he punishes the detainee by abusing his decision-making power
and or fabricating false reports about the person."

The detainees call on the federal government to intervene on behalf of Mr Kharbanda,
who has spent the past nine months in detention for overstaying his visa.

The immigration department said it was unaware of the hunger strike or alleged staff misconduct.

"We are not aware of a detainee hunger striking for 10 days," a departmental spokeswoman said.

"This is the first time these allegations of misconduct have been raised with the department."

The department treated allegations of misconduct by its staff or staff of our service
provider very seriously, she said.

But she could not comment on whether the staff member would be subjected to an internal
investigation.

Refugee activist Jamal Daoud said Mr Kharbanda intended to continue refusing food until
he was moved back to stage two.

Opposition immigration spokesman Tony Burke said he was not aware of any allegations
of corruption within the centre, but remained concerned that its management was outsourced.

"I do remain deeply critical of the privatisation of the detention centres," he said.

"There should be no profit motive standing between accountability of the minister and
the actual delivery of care and treatment for the detainees."

Villawood management would not comment.

AAP tr/ajc/was/cdh/jlw

KEYWORD: DETENTION

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