Tamil deported despite desperate pleas

Sydney Morning Herald July 25, 2012

Daniel Flitton

A desperate bid to stop Australian immigration officers deporting a Tamil man back to Sri Lanka has failed — despite fears from his family he will be killed on his return.

He is the first Tamil asylum seeker to be forcibly deported directly from Australia since the latest spate of arrivals begin in 2008 and follows revelations this week about the torture and abuse of other failed asylum seekers returned to Sri Lanka.

Immigration authorities took the man — who his family insists suffers from mental illness — from the Maribyrnong detention centre this morning and packed him off to Melbourne airport.

An 11th hour bid by refugee advocates to make a legal challenge to prevent his deportation failed to materialise.

He was placed on a flight out from Tullamarine at around 2PM to be returned to Colombo via Bangkok.

The man — who the National Times has chosen not to identify — has failed in his bid for refugee status but his family insist he is in grave danger at home.

‘If he goes there, they kill him,’ his tearful sister said before the flight left.

‘What sort of country do we live? Please give him to me – I will look after him.’

She said the man, originally from the northern city of Jaffna, suffers from mental illness and arrived in Australia in 2010 by plane, seeking asylum.

But he exhausted all appeals for refugee status, though his supporters say they have lodged an appeal with the United Nations for a review.

Tamil newspapers have published photographs and personal details about the man, including a purported arrest warrant.

He had been living with his sister in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong but was called into the Immigration department in the CBD last Tuesday and given a letter that told him authorities have judged ‘you are removable’.

He was then immediately taken into detention.

His supporters mounted a weekend protest outside the centre in an attempt to stop his deportation.

His brother-in-law said he had asked to be allowed to see the man before he was deported, but was refused.

An immigration department spokeswoman refused to confirm the deportation.
‘We don’t comment on operational details and won’t comment on removals until after they occur,’ she said.’

Further comment is being sought.