Mark Isaacs

Published Articles

Foreign Policy: The Intolerable Cruelty of Australia’s Refugee Deterrence Strategy (2016)

On April 26, the Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea declared Australia’s detention of asylum…

Mark IsaacsMay 3, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series Published Articles

World Policy Journal: The Last of the Qashqa’i Nomads (2016)

I spent a day and an evening with the Qashqa'i nomads of Fars Province, Iran.…

Mark IsaacsApril 20, 2016

Published Articles Wolftress China Diaries

Conscious Magazine: Garments with Stories (2016)

I travelled with Wolftress to the Yunnan and Guizhou provinces of southern China to find…

Mark IsaacsApril 20, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series Published Articles

Roads and Kingdoms: A Strobe Light Wedding in Mavdasht (2016)

One Iranian wedding, 2 parties, 500 men, and some shots of arak.

Mark IsaacsApril 13, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution Published Articles

Right Now: The Breaking of a Man (2016)

A fictional short story about the gradual erosion of a man's spirit in the Australian…

Mark IsaacsMarch 30, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Guest Post: At the Knife’s Edge by Robin de Crespigny

Robin de Crespigny, author of the People Smuggler, writes an essay come creative non-fiction piece…

Mark IsaacsMarch 18, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series

A Guide to Travelling Iran: Abyaneh, Yazd and Zoroastrianism

Mark travels in Iran with an aim to understand why people are fleeing from a…

Mark IsaacsMarch 16, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution

Guest Post: Establishing Deterrence by Greg Lake

Greg Lake writes about his work for the Department of Immigration, managing Immigration Detention Centres…

Mark IsaacsMarch 11, 2016

Wolftress China Diaries

The Textile Hunt is Over: Lessons Learned from China

In the final chapter of the Wolftress China Diaries, the textile hunt comes to an…

Mark IsaacsMarch 10, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series

A Guide to Travelling Iran: Isfahan is Half the World

Isfahan is a breath-taking city of mosques and palaces, of gardens and fountains, mosaics, and…

Mark IsaacsMarch 8, 2016

The Octopus

Guest Post: Welcome to the Jungle by Ali Reid

Ali Reid is a refugee rights activist who volunteered to assist asylum seekers in a…

Mark IsaacsMarch 3, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution

Guest Post: Nauru and Manus Island are as Bad as Guantanamo

Professor David Isaacs, a consultant paediatrician in Westmead Children's Hospital and a clinical professor at…

Mark IsaacsMarch 1, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects

A Guide to Travelling Iran: Kashan and Iranian Politeness

Learn about the ancient desert town of Kashan, Taroff and Iranian politeness, and the beautiful…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 29, 2016

Wolftress China Diaries

We are in China, We are in Yunnan

Kartika and Jessie's search for textiles takes us to Yunnan province where we experience the…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 26, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series

First Impressions of Burma: Yangon and the Water Festival

It is incredible how peaceful some parts of a country can be when such turmoil…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 24, 2016

Wolftress China Diaries

Understanding Ancient Cultures: the Miao of Matang

In our search for textiles in Southern China, Kartika, Jessie and I learn about the…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 21, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Guest Post: A Refugee Community Group in Indonesia

A guest post from a group of people currently waiting for resettlement in Indonesia who…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 20, 2016

Wolftress China Diaries

Preserving Ancient Cultures: the Longhorn Miao community

In the depths of the mountain forests of Western Guizhou, live the Longhorn Miao, famous…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 18, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution

In Conversation with the Australian Labor Party

On Sunday 14 February, I will be discussing the treatment of people seeking asylum in…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 13, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution

Let Them Stay: Bondi Beach

Bondi Beach community joined the 'Let Them Stay' campaign to protest the Government's plan to…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 11, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution

Sydney Get Up Protest: Let Them Stay

Thousands of Australians across the country protested against the Government's proposed plan to return 267…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 10, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution Published Articles

New Matilda: The Truth-Silencers Demand the Truth (2016)

It's a strange world when the Australian Department of Immigration simultaneously suppresses the truth and…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 10, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects

Crossing the Thai-Burma Border

After visiting refugee camps on the western Thai border, it is time for me to…

Mark IsaacsFebruary 1, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects

A Guide to Travelling Iran: Arriving in Tehran

Learn about Iranian fashion, money exchange, calendars, and tips for travelling in Tehran.

Mark IsaacsJanuary 27, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution

Former Nauru Detainee Speaks Out

In the current political climate of secrecy that envelops Australia's treatment of people seeking asylum…

Mark IsaacsJanuary 22, 2016

Displaced People of Asia Series

Some Tips for Visiting The Islamic Republic of Iran

Travelling to Iran is possible and it is safe. Here are some tips to help…

Mark IsaacsJanuary 13, 2016

The Indonesia Project

Ashkan: My Life in Indonesia as a Refugee

Ashkan is an Iranian man living in Jakarta, Indonesia. He describes what life is like…

Mark IsaacsJanuary 4, 2016

Australia's Pacific Solution Published Articles

We Are Better Than This: The Humanitarian Triumph (2015)

We have been told by governments past and present that stopping the boats is a…

Mark IsaacsJanuary 4, 2016

Published Articles

VICE: Partying in the Islamic Republic of Iran (2015)

I travelled to the Islamic Republic of Iran with its strict laws and customs very…

Mark IsaacsDecember 15, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Ali's Story Part 3: Finding a People Smuggler

Ali arrives in Indonesia and begins his search for a people smuggler to take him…

Mark IsaacsDecember 14, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Same Skies: A Strengths- and Rights-based Approach to Supporting Displaced People

How do displaced people seeking protection and resettlement in Indonesia survive the tough, restrictive conditions?…

Mark IsaacsDecember 9, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Ali’s Story Part 2: Escaping Afghanistan and Pakistan

Ali tells his story of how he left Afghanistan and Pakistan en route to Indonesia.

Mark IsaacsDecember 3, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series

No Man’s Land: Criminals, Smugglers, and Stateless People

There exists a 'No Man's Land' between Burma and Thailand where criminals, runaways and stateless…

Mark IsaacsDecember 1, 2015

Published Articles The Octopus

Huffington Post: It's Easier to Imprison Someone You're Told is Illegal (2015)

Advocating for the better treatment of people seeking asylum in Australia can often be a…

Mark IsaacsNovember 29, 2015

Wolftress China Diaries

The Batik Trade Graveyard

According to the travel blogs, Anshun and Shitouzhai in west Guizhou are famous for Batik…

Mark IsaacsNovember 26, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Meeting Ashkan: Seeking Asylum in Jakarta

I visit Ashkan, an Iranian man living in Jakarta, Indonesia, who is trying to seek…

Mark IsaacsNovember 22, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Ali’s Story Part 1: Why I left Afghanistan

Ali is a Hazara man stranded in Indonesia hoping for resettlement to Australia. This is…

Mark IsaacsNovember 20, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects Published Articles

Roads and Kingdoms: A Night of Burma’s Finest Drink (2015)

I spent two months working with the Ta'ang people in the Shan state of Burma.…

Mark IsaacsNovember 20, 2015

Wolftress China Diaries

A Hard Bed to Guizhou Province

Jessie and Kartika begin their search for Batik textiles in Guizhou province. First stop, the…

Mark IsaacsNovember 18, 2015

Wolftress China Diaries

In Search of Textiles: Why China?

While the idea of looking for textiles in China seems overwhelming at first, it is…

Mark IsaacsNovember 17, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series Published Articles

Huffington Post: The Boats Are The Only Option (2015)

I meet a Rohingya man in Australia after having visited his home in the Rhakine…

Mark IsaacsNovember 13, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects

Thai-Burma Border: Nu Poe Refugee Camp

A trip to Nu Poe refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border turned out to be…

Mark IsaacsNovember 9, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects

Thai-Burma Border: Mae La Refugee Camp

I travelled to Mae La camp, the largest refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border.

Mark IsaacsNovember 3, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution Published Articles

Writing to the Wire: If this is a Man (2016)

You who live in the land of plenty, safe from war, torture, and civil unrest,…

Mark IsaacsNovember 3, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series Projects

Thai-Burma Border: Mae Sot

I travel to Mae Sot to learn more about the Karen people and refugees and…

Mark IsaacsNovember 2, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution The Indonesia Project

Meeting Ali: A Trip to Bogor

I travelled to Indonesia to meet people who are waiting for resettlement to Australia. I…

Mark IsaacsOctober 26, 2015

Displaced People of Asia Series Published Articles

New Matilda: Inside The Rohingya Refugee Camps (2015)

Ongoing conflict between the Rohingya Muslim population of west Burma and the Rakhine Buddhists has…

Mark IsaacsOctober 24, 2015

Australia's Pacific Solution Published Articles

VICE: Big Picture Brutality (2015)

This is an excerpt of an article published by VICE Australia regarding the Australian government's…

Mark IsaacsOctober 22, 2015

Wolftress China Diaries

We are in China. We are in Guangzhou.

Join me, Jessie, and Kartika in the first instalment of the Wolftress China Diaries: our…

Mark IsaacsOctober 17, 2015

Wolftress China Diaries

In March 2015, I travelled to China with Jessie Helyar and Kartika Putra. We discovered…

Mark IsaacsOctober 14, 2015

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