The family of Tamil asylum seekers at the center of a decade-long immigration battle thanked the people of Perth for their support when they began their journey back to their hometown of Biloela.
Key points:
- The family will arrive in Biloela on Friday after leaving WA this morning
- They will live in the community with bridge visas until their case is resolved
- Defenders have been campaigning for his return to Queensland since 2018
The Nadesalingam family is flying out of Western Australia to Queensland, where they will be living in the community with bridge visas while their immigration case is resolved in court.
Priya, Nades and their daughters Kopica and Tharnicaa were greeted by the media when they arrived at Perth Airport this morning before the scheduled departure of their flight at 8:35 am.
Dressed in matching dresses, the two girls were a little shy in the bright, flashing lights.
It was all smiles at Perth Airport as Kopika and Tharnicaa prepared to board their flight home. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
But they were all smiles as they clung to their parents and longtime wrestler and friend Angela Fredericks.
Tharnicaa, who is celebrating her 5th birthday on Sunday – her first birthday outside the detention of immigrants – and Kopica, 7, were wearing toy cockatoos, which have become a symbol of the Home to Bilo campaign.
“Happy to start our journey”
Priya made a brief statement in English before Nades spoke in Tamil, thanking both of those who had helped them get to this point.
Priya (left) and Nades shared a kiss amidst emotional scenes before boarding their flight. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
“Tomorrow I have been staying in Perth for a year since I came when my daughter [was] very sick, “Priya said.
“[We] We are very grateful to the entire Perth Children’s Hospital [staff] which helped a lot … I made great friends.
“My family and I are very happy to begin our journey back to my community in Bilo.
“Thank you all [of you people in] Perth, thank you. I love you Perth. “
The family has been detained for the past four years after they were arrested in 2018 by immigration officials.
The youngest daughter, Tharnicaa, was medically evacuated to Perth from Christmas Island last year. (Provided by: Change.org)
Two weeks ago, Labor announced after winning the federal election that the family could return to Biloela.
A long battle to call Australia home
Priya and Nades arrived in Australia separately by boat in 2012 and 2013.
The Nadesalingam family is scheduled to arrive in Biloela on Friday. (ABC News: Cason Ho)
Friends and support groups say the couple fled Sri Lanka due to the persecution of the Tamil people.
The couple married and settled in the town of Biloela, Central Queensland, where they lived and worked for about three years on temporary visas.
Her two daughters, Kopika and Tharnicaa, were born in Australia.
The Home to Bilo grassroots campaign has maintained national attention to the Tamil family seeking asylum since they were removed from Biloela in 2018.
The family was eventually transferred to Christmas Island, where they spent most of two years in the detention center before being taken to Perth in 2021, when their little one, Tharnicaa, required medical attention.
The Department of the Interior has consistently said that its asylum case has been thoroughly assessed and that the family has failed to comply with Australia’s protection obligations.
Their fate depended on a change of government and the new Labor government quickly granted the family bridge visas, which allowed them to return to Biloela while they waited for their case to be resolved in court.
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Posted 1 hour ago 1 hour Tuesday, June 7, 2022 at 11:45 PM, updated 35 m ago, 35 minutes ago, Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 12:25 AM