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WOOMERA BURNS!

I-P-H | 30.12.2002 17:24

TONIGHT (MONDAY) CA. 10 PM (AUSTRALIA TIME) FIRES HAVE STARTED AT WOOMERA.
THEY ARE STILL NOT EXTINGUISHED (IT'S NOW TUESDAY MORNING 2 AM).

20 DONGAS AND ALL ROOMS IN THE MIKE AND NOVEMBER COMPUNDS HAVE BEEN TOTALLY BURNED DOWN.
IT'S A VERY BIG FIRE.
THERE ARE NO REPORTS OF INJURIES AMONG DETAINEES, AND WE HOPE IT STAYS
LIKE THIS. THE OTHER GOOD NEWS IS, THAT THE ACM OFFICE HAS ALSO TOTALLY
BEEN BURNED TO THE GROUND.
ACM STAFF ARE TRYING TO REMOVE THE PEOPLE TO OTHER COMPOUNDS,
BUT THE PEOPLE ARE REFUSING TO BE MOVED.
A SHORT AUDIO INTERVIEW WITH A DETAINEE RECORDED DURING THE FIRE IS
AVAILABLE IN THE AUDIO/VISION SECTION OF I-P-H. THE LINK IS
 http://www.porthedland.nomasters.org/audiovision.htm
(sorry for the poor quality)
if the above link doesn't work try
www.melbourne.indymedia.org or adelaide/brisbane/sydney



BELOW IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW:
"2 compounds - my compound and also november compund...(unaudible)
I think more than 20 dongas is in fire now.
Also all the rooms in my compund in the fire now. Burning.
I mean, 2 compunds finished, it will be finished.
This is really very big fire.
The office of the (ACM) officers is burning."
(Q: The ACM office is burning?) "Yes."
(Q: Did they start to arrest people?) "No. They're trying to move the
people from here to other compund, but no one accepted that.
They wanted the families to go there, but the families refused to go
there. They said "we want to stay here".

I-P-H: INSIDE PORT HEDLAND

I-P-H
- Homepage: http://www.porthedland.nomasters.org