Twenty years ago this very week, my family and I were on a small wooden fishing boat in the Indian Ocean, having fled the barbarism of the #Taliban. We were rescued by the Norwegian containership, the MV Tampa, and denied entry to Australia at the point of a gun.
This also set into motion the torturous policy of offshore detention, where thousands of asylum seekers have been sentenced to indefinite imprisonment, for the simple act of wanting dignity and security.
Luckily for my family, good ole NZ came to our rescue and the rest is history. These photos show our dramatic rescue and the events thereafter. I detail our journey in my memoir #AfterTheTampa, out now at all major bookstores across Australia and New Zealand.
Now, as the Taliban open a new chapter in Afghan history, I am reminded of the fear and desperation which drove us to seek salvation on new shores. I hope that we can learn the lessons of Tampa, and that governments on both sides of the Tasman take in refugees from Afghanistan.
Given the 20 year war effort, there is a moral responsibility to take in those who will be most vulnerable to persecution by the Taliban, notably those who helped the A/NZ military campaign, and minority populations, such as the #Hazara.
You can help by signing the #ActionForAfghanistan petition (currently at 150k signatures), and if you can, donating to the Givealittle campaign ($20k in 24 hours so far). Both links are in my bio.
#ActionForAfghanistan #StopHazaraGenocide #Afghanistan #Refugees #AfterTheTampa #Australia #NewZealand #nzpol #auspol
Some photos of the time. Check our my Instagram (same handle) for more. 
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