How was their deportation stopped mid-air?
Protesters rushed to Melbourne Airport on Thursday night, upon learning the family would be deported within hours. Nadesalingam and Priya met and married in Australia after fleeing Sri Lanka's civil war Their plane took off at about 23:00 local time (12:00 GMT), but lawyers succeeded, during the flight, in securing a last-minute order preventing Dharuniga's deportation. That injunction, ordered over the phone by a judge, forced the plane to land over 3,000 km (1,850 miles) away in Darwin, Australia's northernmost major city, at about 03:00 local time on Friday. Footage posted online shows the family being escorted from the plane by guards. Their friend Angela Fredericks told the BBC the family had "suffered a huge emotional toll and are very distressed". She said the girls had cried during the flight, and Priya had not been allowed to sit with her children. On Friday many Australians, including lawmakers, expressed anger online over the family's treatment and called for the government to show compassion. Opposition lawmakers urged Immigration Minister David Coleman to exercise discretion and allow the family to stay. Critics have compared the situation to a controversy last year, where a minister personally intervened to stop the deportation of a French au pair.DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
Latest Stories
-
Ice cubes now cost more than bread and milk in parts of Mali
1 hour -
Titanic gold pocket watch sells for £900,000
2 hours -
Elon Musk in China to discuss enabling full self driving – reports
2 hours -
Foreign Affairs Ministry advises against travelling to Northern Mali
2 hours -
After dating him for three years, I proposed to my husband
2 hours -
Beatrice ‘Bee’ Arthur tackles plastic pollution through artistic exploration
3 hours -
Hundreds turn out for Luv FM/Telecel Fitness Walk in Kumasi
3 hours -
Ghana Post launches Asantehene Commemorative Stamp
3 hours -
Police fire tear gas to disperse Benin wage protest
3 hours -
Airline keeps mistaking 101-year-old woman for baby
3 hours -
Harvey Weinstein hospitalised after conviction overturned
3 hours -
Anis Hafar: Learning how to avoid wars
4 hours -
Private legal practitioner wins Akan NPP parliamentary candidate poll
4 hours -
American-Israeli hostage appears in Hamas video for first time
4 hours -
‘Who were the successful bidders of 10 BVDs, how was auction advertised?’ – Imani quizzes EC
4 hours