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 »
Tag Archives: Tamil family
Reprieve for Tamil family, two-year-old daughter ‘not afforded procedural fairness’ in visa application
AFTER a partial victory in the Federal Court a Tamil mother has asked the government to give her family a normal life at home in the Queensland town of Biloela after two “depressing” years in detention. Priya Murugappan, her partner Nades and their Australian-born daughters Kopika, 4, and two-year-old Tharunicaa, remain on Christmas Island and could yet be deported to ... Read More »
‘It’s mental torture’: Biloela Tamil family stuck in agonising wait about their future
Priya and Nadesalingam claim they face persecution in Sri Lanka due to links to the Tamil Tigers – a group that fought for liberation during the war. Read More »
Staying or going, a Tamil family becomes the face of Australia’s border policies in deportation dispute
THE plight of boat people being allowed to stay in Australia is being tested after a Tamil family from Biloela was granted a mid-air temporary reprieve from deportation. Mother Priya and her husband Nadesalingam and their two Australian-born children were removed from a plane taking them from Melbourne to Sri Lanka on August 30. A last-minute court injunction forced their flight to ... Read More »
Biloela community makes fresh moves to keep Tamil family in town after Sri Lanka terror attack
THE church-bombing crisis in Sri Lanka has prompted activists in the Central Queensland town of Biloela to step up their campaign for the return of a Tamil asylum-seeker family seized by Australian Border Force officials and placed in a Melbourne detention centre. “In light of the horrific attacks and growing instability in Sri Lanka … it is now a matter ... Read More »