Tamil asylum seeker in UK deported to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Friday, 10 September 2010, 17:15 GMT]
United Kingdom Immigration officials forcibly deported 31st August a Tamil youth from Sri Lanka who had sought political asylum in United Kingdom a year ago back to Colombo in a Sri Lankan Air Lines flight. The youth was detained in Katunayake International Airport on arrival for more than 24 hours and subjected to interrogation, his family members said. The youth whose fingers are inert due to injuries is admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital in a mentally affected state, hospital sources said.

The deported youth is Edison Emil Jenifer, 25, a resident of Pa’ndaththarippu in Jaffna.

His first application seeking asylum in UK being rejected by Immigration Officials in London Edison had applied again and he had been instructed to sign at the Immigration Office every month.

Once when he reported at the Immigration Office to sign he was suddenly arrested by the officials and detained for a long period.

The long detention in London and the harassment on arrival in Colombo have seriously affected his mental state, Edison’s relatives said.

Edison is under mental health counseling treatment in Jaffna Teaching Hospital now.