Reprieve for asylum seeker

A TAMIL asylum seeker who tried to take his life in Maribyrnong Detention Centre last week has received a last-minute stay on deportation.

The man, known as ‘Anjan’, was just hours from being flown back to Sri Lanka when a ruling by the Federal Court in Sydney on Wednesday overturned a court decision that rejected an application to stop his removal.

Feiyi Zhang, of the Refugee Action Collective, said Anjan had earlier tried to take his life over fears he would be killed on his return to Sri Lanka. “He was scheduled to be removed and flown to Colombo. He tried to cut his throat, but he was in a stable condition and not in grave danger.”

Paramedics treated Anjan on-site for minor injuries. Ms Zhang was part of a group of about 50 protesters to blockade the Maribyrnong Detention Centre on Wednesday morning to stop Immigration Department officials taking the man to the airport.

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— with The Age