Priya Nadesalingam says recounting her family’s battle to gain permanent residency was difficult, but she hopes her memoir is a reminder for Australians to stand up for refugees.
MELBOURNE, Australia Four years ago, immigration officers arrived at dawn to rip a Sri Lankan family away from the life they had built in the tiny Australian town of.
Rights groups say they do not expect Australian immigration policy to change significantly with its new government, but the decision raised hopes for a more tolerant approach.
In Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seekers, notably those arriving by boat, compassion and fairness have rarely threatened a policy deemed cruel, costly and ineffective. The fate of the Muragappan family has been a continuous, scandalising flashpoint about the nature of Australia’s border protection policies. By Binoy Kampmark
Priya and Nadesalingam Murugappan, and their two daughters Kopika, six, and Tharnicaa, four, are set to arrive in Queensland on Friday afternoon, just in time for Tharnicaa s firth birthday on Sunday.