Hunger strike useless —Govt
PA Auckland The prison authorities will not agree to demands from hunger-strikers, the Government warned yesterday as doctors monitored the condition of two men fasting in Auckland’s Paremoremo Prison. The Minister of Justice, Mr McLay, said that inmates on hunger-strike would not get what they wanted, and that eight fasters in the last three years had all failed. Paremoremo’s deputy superintendent, Mr Max Matheson, said yesterday morning that Patrick Nor-ton-Bennett, aged 34, and Alister Barr, aged 31, were losing weight because of the£ protests, but were still
capable of moving about. Norton-Bennett has refused food and water since November 11 in protest against visiting restrictions. Barr, on remand, began his hunger-strike on November 15 in protest against his transfer from Christchurch.
Mr McLay said that the eight reported hungerstrikes since 1980 had lasted between two and 35 days. The longest was called off when the striker was told he would be transferred to Auckland’s maximum security prison after he showed signs of starvation. "Any attempt to achieve anything by resorting to this method is a pointless exercise and doomed to Failure.”
Hunger strike useless—Govt
Press, 23 November 1983, Page 3
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