【絕食第80日】【80th Day of Hunger Strike: Update & Volunteers' Thoughts】
17 / 9 / 2020
▍「除了停止了探訪外，這裡任何東西都沒變過。廁所依然是那麼髒，他們（入境處）連一塊香皂都沒有多給我們。」- 羈留者O生氣的說
自9月6日CIC出現第二單新冠確診，CIC便停止了探訪，所有羈留者都已經十天因探訪暫停而無法獲得一些基本衛生護理物資。以下為義工H的心聲：
CIC對認可物資要求十分苛刻，書一定不要有任何標註，連一個「由XX中學圖書館捐贈」的印 章也容不下，「呢本唔入得」；香皂只能是藍色的，但藥房通常是一排六塊的賣，只有兩塊是藍色，總有四塊紫色、白色不知如何處理；以為只要寫著「祝君早安」的毛巾便可以，買到了，職員又說「標誌中一的不是「合」字，這不是正版」，退回，不收；買了兩包M&M想給羈留者，但被告知一次一定要給5包，而且一定要是同一顏色的包裝。第一次聽到時會又生氣又無奈，明明都是香皂、毛巾，這些要求除了用來留難訪客，有任何意思嗎？每次探訪，更是總會見到其他訪客有一些東西因不乎要求而被退回，山長水遠走到來CIC，卻沒法送物資到親人、朋友手上，會感到很可惜嗎？
怒氣與無奈，隨著探訪次數漸多而慢慢地被磨蝕。為了能順利地把物資送到羈留者手上，更是練成了一對金精火眼，去到不同藥房都認得出物資，知道格價合理與否。這一陣子，見到任何藥房都會逛一逛，見到適合的便買下。這幾天都接給幾位羈留者的電話，有的說急需牙膏、香皂（只能通過探訪才能獲得），有的說很悶想收新的書。我想說，我都準備了，只是不知何時才見到他們。
羈留者的來電中，讓我除了知道他們需要的物資外，更是體會到自由對他們的迫切。「7樓的40多人全被送到隔離營了，你有他們的消息嗎？」S問。「我需要幫助。我不想繼續留在CIC，這裡有新冠病毒確診。這裡不安全。」R說。我想這次CIC這次確診引致的Lockdown和全院檢測已充份反映到這個地方十分高危，為何還是要強行把一班無罪的人拘禁，置他們的健康生命於危險中？
「我們差不多所有羈留人士已經聯名向入境處寫了一封投訴書，抗議停止探訪並要求交代原因。」O說。「希望很快可以容許探訪。」
▍“I am very angry about this lockdown. They (ImmD) did nothing more to advance any prevention or protection measures. Just lockdown. We are running out of toothpaste, soap and hand wash.” — Detainee I
Due to the discovery of the 2nd confirmed case of COVID-19 on 6th September, CIC has suspended all visit. All detainees have since been unable to receiving basic hygienic products from their visiting friends. It has been 10 days. Below are some thoughts of our volunteer H:
CIC is exceptionally meticulous, or better put, bureaucratic about the hand-in articles from visitors to detainees. A book must be totally clean, even a stamp that says “Donated by XX School Library” would made the book ineligible for handing in; The soap must be in blue, yet stores often sell this brand of soap in a pack of six, so volunteers would always be left with 4 bars of non-blue soap; when you bought the towel with the exact wording, the staff will always let you know that your towel is “knock-off” and therefore unaccepted; M&M must come in 5 packs of the same colour. When the articles I bought first got rejected by CIC officers, I was very frustrated. In terms of their function, the towels and soap I bought were just fine. And every time I visited, I always saw other visitors’ “unapproved” articles got rejected. Imagining coming all the way with the hope of giving a little something to make your detainee friend’s life slightly better, and yet got rejected for the bureaucratic instructions of CIC, would you feel upset?
Nevertheless, my angry and frustration has been numbed as I visited CIC more frequently. In order to successfully got the articles to detainees, I have become an expert. I have memorised the entire list of approved hand-in articles and know the prices for each item. And over time, I have stocked up these articles for the detainees. In the past few days, our concern group have received several calls from detainees, saying that they are lacking certain hygienic project. “We are running out of toothpaste, soap and hand wash.” they said. I would love to let them know that I have stocked up, yet I now have no idea when I can give things to them due to the lockdown in CIC.
From these calls from detainees, not only had I learnt about the certain items they need, but also what freedom meant to them. “40 detainees from 7/F have been sent to the isolation camp, do you have any news about them?”, detainee S asked me. “Actually I need help. I don’t want to stay long time in CIC. There is positive case here. CIC is not safe.” Detainee R said. I think the current lockdown of CIC have demonstrated exactly how CIC is not safe. There is a high risk for cross-infection of COVID-19 in CIC. So, why is the authority so determined to detain this group of innocent people, and put their health and lives in danger?
“Most detainees have wrote a complaint letter together to the Immigration Department against the lockdown and ask for reasons.” Said O. “Hope this complaint letter could help reopen visit soon.”
