Letter from Inhabitant of Lier ventemottak, 1 April 2009

The asylum seekers with a final negative decision who are living in Lier ventemottak have been under increasing pressure from the staff lately. It does not seem accidental, it seems like a plan.

Monday 17th March I woke up in the morning and saw more cars than usual parked in our parking lot. I went to the reception to ask for toilet paper as usual, and the staff were not available. I waited for about 10 minutes, this was unusual, before one person appeared. He told me they are in a meeting, but I did not ask what the meeting was about. One guess is that the meeting was about how to make life even tougher at Lier.

On the 18th, just two days after the meeting, the Internet connection worsened even more. We have one computer with Internet connection for many of us to connect with the outside world. Now the Internet started being on for about 10 minutes and off for about an hour or even more. One asylum seeker got tired and went to ask the staff in the reception about the connection. When he rang the bell in the reception, a staff member came and said: ”I know why you are here, there is no Internet and I need it, so go back, I will put it on when I want to”. What kind of system is this, where there is Internet only in the office and not in the Internet room, not in both places at the same time? It is difficult to believe this. The Internet is still on for 10 minutes and off for about an hour or more. After several complaints it seems the complaints have made it even worse.

On the 20th same week, there was no warm water in the shower. People screamed with cold water for one full week. Several people who went to complain in the reception were insulted and only told to go back. So the cold water continued for one full week.

On Saturday 28th the same week, the last Saturday of March, time was changed all over Europe. Newspapers always announce this time change every time it is due. For the last three winters that I have been here in Lier ventemottak, we were always informed by the reception staff, and notice was written and nailed on the door for everyone to read. But last Saturday, March 28th, we were not informed by the staff about the changes, so many people missed breakfast and lunch on Sunday 29th. It was an amazing and emotional day to many people living here. I believe the staff were all prepared and had planned to make us suffer, and therefore did it intentionally to see how we would react.

Then from 30th March, the meal time was reduced by 10 minutes. The staff have nailed the time changes on all the doors of the building. Breakfast was always from 08:45 to 09:45, now it has been reduced from 08:45 to 09:35. Lunch was from 13:00 to 14:00, now it has been reduced from 13:00 to 13:50. The same applies to dinner as well. I believe the intention is to limit all aspects of our lives here even more, in small ways that no one outside will react to, in order to make our lives here even more miserable.

Then on the 31st March, two asylum seekers went to complain about the Internet connection in the reception. In the reception, the staff members who were on duty started to argue with them. The staff were one Norwegian and two men from Somalia. The two asylum seekers who went to ask for the Internet connection were both from Somalia. They started talking in Somali language, one could guess that they were insulting each other, since the Somali staff members were emotional and angry and one of them removed his jacket, ready to fight. He held one asylum seeker in his neck by the clothes, and dragged him out from the camera area. I believe that this was more than the Internet issue - it was more like tribal conflict back in Somalia triggered the whole episode of anger. Then the people who were standing by intervened and seperated them.

It did not end there. The asylum seekers left and went back to the tv room, and the staff went back into the reception. Few minutes later, however, the police came into the camp. The police asked the guy who was dragged, and they took him with all his belongings, and we don’t know where they have taken him. It does not matter what actually happened or who said what, the staff can say and do what they want, it is always the asylum seekers who are punished.

In view of the above, the entire turn of events seems like a clear and intentional plan to intimidate people in Lier camp. The desire is to see if we react violently, then they can use ”violent act” as a reason to take someone out of the camp, or possibly as a deportation ground.

We hope that this pressure will be fruitful, and such suffering in the camp will eventually end. God bless Norway.

Inhabitant of Lier ventemottak, anonymous