THE smiles and easy disposition of Nades, Priya, Kopika and Tharnicaa belie their broken-hearted predicament. The asylum-seeking Tamil family that settled in Biloela has now spent more than 1000 days in immigration detention, and face spending their third Christmas away from their adopted home in outback Queensland. “Where is our compassion, where Jesus is asking us to love our neighbours,” ... Read More »
“I DON’T have any hope, because I’ve lost it all. Now I am just one body here, not a soul, because I’m too tired, mentally sick,” says a 39-year-old man in a Brisbane hotel room pleading for freedom. Raj is a Tamil refugee, a businessman from Sri Lanka who Australia has held in immigration detention for seven years. As a ... Read More »
A FRIEND of the Biloela Tamil family at the centre of a high-profile legal battle to stay in Australia says the mental health of the family’s two young children is deteriorating as wait on Christmas Island for a ruling. Nadesalingam Murugappan, known as Nades, and Kokilapathmapriya Nadesalingam, known as Priya, and their two Australian born daughters Kopika, 4, and Tharunicaa, ... Read More »
A BRISBANE Dominican priest has added his voice to calls for fair process for asylum seekers and their families, after a Tamil man was deported from Australia and then arrested in Sri Lanka. “This is calculated cruelty. It contravenes the basic right of the family,” Fr Pan Jordan, who works closely with Brisbane’s Tamil community, said. On July 13, the ... Read More »
SATURDAY afternoon has rolled around and Tamil refugee Nobert Eltran takes his usual place on the top step of Sacred Heart Church, Rosalie. He waits as people pull up in the carpark for the 4.30pm Vigil Mass. Like every other Saturday, he runs down to open the car doors for elderly parishioners struggling to exit their vehicle. He also hands ... Read More »
BRISBANE Tamil priest Dominican Father Pan Jordan has hailed Pope Francis’ recent visit to Sri Lanka as a potential inspiration to the country’s new government. The Pope arrived soon after Maithripala Sirisena was elected president after Mahinda Rajapaksa failed to secure a third term in office. “His visit could be a source of strength to the new government at a ... Read More »
The Catholic Leader Keeping Faith with You
