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Weekly Refugee Update 2
Jun. 3rd, 2014 09:40 amLeo Seemanpillai, a Tamil asylum seeker living in the community on a bridging visa, took his own life last Sunday by setting himself alight. (Another Tamil asylum seeker doused himself in petrol in April.) By all accounts he was depressed and terrified at the prospect of being returned to Sri Lanka, where he would probably be tortured.
Leo Seemanpillai took his own life as he gave up hope of refuge: "Leo has been severely depressed for some time, for well over a year, and what we basically believe is that it was caused by the fact that there was no decision on his application for a protection visa, and he'd been living in fear basically. A lot of these asylum seekers are telling us that they would rather die here than go back to Sri Lanka and possible torture. Perhaps that is what was in Leo's mind."
Last October, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said: "Anyone who may have come from Sri Lanka should know that they will go back to Sri Lanka. We have an arrangement with the Sri Lankan government and... we'll be ensuring that we maximise those who go back and, preferably, they will all go back."
The Sri Lankan and Australian governments are directly responsible for this man's suffering and death. Remarkably, he responded not with bitterness but with compassion, as an organ donor.
Leo Seemanpillai took his own life as he gave up hope of refuge: "Leo has been severely depressed for some time, for well over a year, and what we basically believe is that it was caused by the fact that there was no decision on his application for a protection visa, and he'd been living in fear basically. A lot of these asylum seekers are telling us that they would rather die here than go back to Sri Lanka and possible torture. Perhaps that is what was in Leo's mind."
Last October, Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said: "Anyone who may have come from Sri Lanka should know that they will go back to Sri Lanka. We have an arrangement with the Sri Lankan government and... we'll be ensuring that we maximise those who go back and, preferably, they will all go back."
The Sri Lankan and Australian governments are directly responsible for this man's suffering and death. Remarkably, he responded not with bitterness but with compassion, as an organ donor.
