The Melbourne-based family of a frail 74 year old Vietnamese asylum seeker great-grandmother, Mrs Thi Tu Nguyen, held in Perth detention since July 2003, say they want her out of detention "alive not dead".

While the sister of the wrongfully deported mentally ill women, Vivian Alvarez (Solon), demanded the Federal Government get her sister back dead or alive, the Melbourne based family of the fragile great-grandmother are pleading the Immigration Minister intervene quickly and grant the great-grandmother her wish to die in freedom in Australia.

During recent visits to Mrs Thi Tu Nguyen, Perth based refugee advocate Mrs Kaye Bernard says, "I have witnessed the old women sobbing while she told me in a matter of fact way through an interpreter that she believes she will die soon. Thi Tu is withering and she is losing hope in seeing her daughter who has lived in Melbourne for 10 years. I can't understand why the Minister does not simply grant the old lady a humanitarian visa and stop this senseless cruelty."

Mrs Bernard said, "The Refugee Review tribunal has recently declared Mrs Nguyen's great granddaughter 'Baby Amy', refugee status and the Minister granted Amy's parents humanitarian visas, so it would be reasonable for the Minister to act swiftly to allow this family to be together in the final days of Thi Tu's life."

Mrs Nguyen is subject to a renewed RRT hearing after Immigration conceded that the first unfavorable RRT judgment was bungled. The length of time for the bureaucratic processes and length of time for judgments to be handed down may not come in time for Mrs Nguyen.

In a last ditch effort to succeed in her wish to spend her remaining days with her family in Melbourne Mrs Nguyen has today met with DIMIA officials and asked through interpreters for her release from detention after nearly 2 years.

Senator Andrew Bartlett said of his meeting with Thi Tu late April "She is very frail and was very sad – she looked far less healthy than when I saw her in November. "

Sue Hoffman, from the WA Refugee Alliance said about Mrs Nguyen, "Why is visiting this lady (in detention) so very very sad? Because she is tiny, helpless, old, frail and frightened. And for her life to end like this, in this kind of place, under guard. And because it is completely unnecessary. Her incarceration achieves nothing."

Contact:
Kaye Bernard 0400 119 109, West Australia Refugee Alliance
Mr Trung Doan 0400 466 848, Melbourne, General Secretary Vietnamese Community in Australia