The Indian Weekender, 9 April 2021

03-365 2677
Christchurch:
noveltysweet.co.nz
4 NEW ZEALAND
Friday, April 9, 2021 The Indian Weekender
Separated migrant fami
at Parliament urging reu
RADIO NEW ZEALAND
A
group
of migrants took to the steps
of Parliament today calling on the
government to allow their families to
enter the country.
Many have had requests for
border exemptions turned down on
numerous occasions.
The government said it was because the
borders were closed - all the while letting in
sports teams and performers like The Wiggles.
“If you are the Queen of England, or if
you are the president of the United States, or
even if you are sweeping the grounds of the
Parliament, nobody wants to be left behind
without their family,” Justin Sobion, one of the
protest’s organisers, said.
I
f you are the Queen of
England, or if you are the
president of the United States,
or even if you are sweeping
the grounds of the Parliament,
nobody wants to be left behind
without their family
“It’s a common issue, it affects every
single person.”
A variety of countries were represented by the
protesters including Iran, the West Indies and
South Africa. About 50 people stood outside
Parliament and others joined in from abroad
via Zoom. For these wives, husbands, mothers,
fathers, sons and daughters, it has been a
year of separation.
“This is an issue that has been swept under
the carpet, it has been silenced,” Sobion said.
He has been separated from his Swiss
national wife for more than a year, but now
after multiple requests and the help of an
immigration adviser she has been granted an
exemption and is in MIQ.
How is it affecting the individuals?
Few others have had success. Many said the
toll on their mental health had been disastrous:
one daughter was refusing to speak to her father
on FaceTime while he was in New Zealand.
Some couples said they had
considered separating.
New Zealand citizen Sameera Bandara
married his wife in his birth country of Sri
Lanka in December 2019.
They applied for her visa in February
2020 but a lack of response is taking a toll
on Sameera.
“It really impacted on me very stressfully. I
go to my GP because I can’t sleep, I’ve got a
very stressful life.
“Imagine - as a full-time solo parent without
any family in New Zealand, I’m on sleeping
pills every night to have a good sleep.”
Sharareh Khojasteh has lived in New Zealand
for three years since coming from Iran as a
refugee. Her husband - her 10-year-old son’s
step-father - is still there.
“So many difficulties. For example, last year
my father passed away. I was ... suffering, it
was shocking. When my husband [is] with me,
he can support my emotions.”
Henco de Beer arrived in New Zealand from
South Africa four days after his son was born.
His wife and two children were due to fly out
on 20 March 2020. The borders closed the
day before.
Since then, he has missed his son’s first
birthday, his daughter’s sixth birthday, and two
wedding anniversaries.
“Besides the birthdays and the milestones,
it’s that every other day in between. To say,
‘good night’, and ‘don’t worry, I’ll see you
soon’, for 450 days, it’s mind-boggling it had to
come to that point.”
The protesters gathered on the lawn in front
of Parliament, sharing their stories, and calling
on the government to come up with a plan to
reunify them with their families.
They also want an urgent select
committee inquiry into the migrant issues
caused by Covid-19.
A letter - written to Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern, Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi,
Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins,
and Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic
Communities Priyanca Radhakrishnan - was
accepted by Green MP Ricardo March.
The letter described the situation as “a
critical, humanitarian issue that needs urgent
resolution”.
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