Jaivet Ealom is the first and only person to have escaped from Manus Island, the offshore prison set up in Papua New Guinea by the Australian government to indefinitely detain so-called “boat people” -- asylum seekers who dared to try to reach Australia by boat.
Ealom’s story is a suspenseful saga of fleeing political oppression and destitution as an ethnic Rohingya born in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, reaching Indonesia, almost dying at sea and being caught and finally incarcerated in Manus Island Regional Processing Center.
Locked into a compound and living in a repurposed shipping container under blistering heat for years, Jaivet planned his escape. Fleeing from Manus without a nationality, passport or any sort of ID, he embarked went on a six-month odyssey by foot, boat, car and plane to eventually find sanctuary in Canada. He lived off his wits with utmost tenacity, good luck and assistance from Samaritans along the way.
His story of struggle, resilience and ultimate freedom covering seven countries and three continents is told in his best-selling book, Escape from Manus prison: One man’s daring quest for freedom, published by Penguin Random House.
Jaivet Ealom is an author and political strategist committed to advancing inclusion, justice and democracy in Myanmar. He currently serves as secretary general of the Rohingya Consultative Council and adviser to the human rights ministry in Myanmar’s parallel National Unity Government. Jaivet is also a co-founder and interim chief executive of the Rohingya Centre of Canada.
Discussant Phil Robertson is director of Asia Human Rights and Labour Advocates and an FCCT board member.
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