Madam, - I am appalled at the recent treatment of Fr John Achebe, and indeed anyone detained due to immigration issues who is treated similarly (The Irish Times, September 13th). I have no connection with the religious, with missionaries or with immigrants. I write as an ordinary Irish citizen who has always been treated well in the many countries that I have visited.
Detention of persons who are suspected of immigration irregularities is very different from detention of "criminals", those who have been convicted of or suspected of committing serious crime. Any law-abiding person could be detained in any country due to technical issues with visas, or a misunderstanding.
People detained under such conditions must, in a civilised society, be treated with basic decency. They should not be mixed with other detainees; they should be entitled to bodily privacy, meaning no stripping in the presence of others, and privacy for use of toilets. If that is not possible in prisons, then they need to be detained somewhere else.
To Fr Achebe, and others similarly treated due to immigration issues, I offer my apologies as an ordinary Irish citizen. I know how traumatic it would be for me if I were treated like this in another country, and for that reason I can empathise with their suffering. I hope that this appalling incident will lead to an immediate review of how these issues are handled by our authorities. - Yours, etc,
BOB LAIRD,
Skerries,
Co Dublin.