A 23-year-old asylum seeker, Mano Yogalingam, has died in Melbourne a day after setting himself on fire, intensifying calls for the Australian government to resolve the visa status of more than 8,000 people left in limbo since arriving by boat over a decade ago. Yogalingam, who fled Sri Lanka with his family at age 11, had been protesting Australian immigration policies for weeks outside the Home Affairs offices in Melbourne. He passed away in the hospital on Wednesday after self-immolating at a skate park in the city’s southeast on Tuesday night.
The Tamil Refugee Council described Yogalingam’s death as a consequence of the “psychological torment inflicted by the Australian government’s cruel and inhumane policies.” A statement from the council read, “At just 23 years, Mano had his whole life ahead of him. His blood is on the hands of the Labor Party. Twelve years is too long to wait for an answer.”
Mourners gathered on Thursday to honor Yogalingam, who had been active in a 46-day protest encampment demanding permanent visas for the 8,500 people affected by Australia’s immigration policies. Aran Mylvaganam, a spokesperson for the Tamil Refugee Council, expressed the community’s devastation, stating, “We don’t want people to die in this manner. They are facing a hopeless situation.”
The Department of Home Affairs offered its condolences but did not comment on individual cases due to privacy reasons. Advocates have criticized the legacy of the Abbott government’s 2014 policy, which has left many asylum seekers without permanent residency. Jana Favero, head of systemic change at the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, condemned the policy as creating a “cobweb of cruelty,” arguing that it has led to arbitrary and inconsistent outcomes for asylum seekers like Yogalingam.
