The Journal

253 Summer 2023/4

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Dženana Vucic on the subtle and not-so-subtle Marxist symbolism in Sailor Moon, John Docker, a "non-theatre person" by his own admission on The New Theatre, Sarah Schwartz on prison healthcare as punishment and the killing of Veronica Nelson, a poignant short story on memory and displacement from Nasrin Mahoutchi-Hosaini, Jeanine Leane's prize-winning poem, "Water under the bridge", and more.

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Overland literary journal > Articles by: Shamindan Kanapathi

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Shamindan Kanapathi

Shamindan Kanapathi is a 27 years young Sri Lankan Tamil man and refugee. He has been detained by Australia on Manus for six years. Over a number of years he has been reporting from within the prison camp through social media. In Sri Lanka he was a marketing executive and student. He says: ‘My hopes have been that some day I will be free, will see my family again, be able to help to raise the voices of those who are not heard, to care for those who are not cared for and pursue my dream of becoming a veterinarian.’

Articles by Shamindan Kanapathi:

27 May 201919 July 2019 · Politics

Our self-harm, your free speech: an open letter

Shamindan Kanapathi

There have been three elections, four prime ministers and we are still being punished.

27 May 201919 July 2019 · Federal Election 2019

Six years waiting for freedom: a response to the Federal Election from Manus Island

Shamindan Kanapathi

This is the third election we have witnessed since this inhuman offshore immigration detention poli-cy, Pacific Solution 2, was imposed on us. We have sacrificed six years of our lives to ‘protect the Australian borders’.

7 March 201927 May 2019 · open letter

An open letter from Manus to Minister Dutton concerning the Medivac Bill

Shamindan Kanapathi

Mr Dutton, how in all conscience can you continue to humiliate and dehumanise severely ill refugees in your own personal and political thirst for power? You continually use hate speech in order to prevent due justice to be given to us, the remaining refugees on Manus and Nauru. We are not responsible for shortages in hospital beds. We are dangerously ill only because many treatable illnesses and injuries have not been given adequate medical attention for years.