The scenes at Brisbane airport that summer a few years ago did not feel real. The terminal was almost empty, but security was intense. Medics in face shields stood alongside masked officials, making the place feel less like an arrival hall and more like a containment zone.
Our bus – carrying newly arrived Afghans evacuated after the fall of Kabul – was escorted by police to a tall, expensive-looking hotel. One by one, we were funnelled into separate rooms, processed with clinical efficiency. We were told little, except that we would not leave for two weeks.
