Letter from Mohammad Hashim Al Ghazzi

16 October 2006

My name is Mohammad Hashim Al Ghazzi. Fourteen members of my family including my wife and three children died on SIEV X.

I want to thank all the people who work with and share with us on the memorial project held Sunday 15th October, to remember our families.

We have lost everything, our family, our future, our dignity, our honour.

The memorial is like there is a ceremony for our family. I feel their souls will go there, to this beautiful park in Canberra.

I will never forget the support of so many Australians in making this memorial.

(Words spoken by Mohammad, during a press conference at Parliament House, Canberra, Monday 16th October 2006.
Submitted to The Australian newspaper on same day as a Letter to the Editor, not published,
in response to the criticism made by the newspaper of the memorial event.)