His death has sparked a number of protests across the country this week, led by refugee advocates who are calling on the federal government to expedite a pathway to permanency for an estimated 8,500 asylum seekers still on temporary visas.
The deaths of two Sri Lankan Tamil asylum seekers last week have prompted debate about protection visas. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
Among those protesting is a group of Perth-based Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, who have staged a sit-in protest and vigil outside federal Labor MP Sam Lim’s office in Willetton.
Support for the Perth encampment event is growing by the day. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
In a tense exchange with protesters, Lim referred to Yogalingam’s death, saying: “If you can live for the last 12 years or 13 years in such a suffering state, why [do] you want to take your life?”
“Why? If you can sustain and live, you should have a strong energy to carry on … and you are under a good government,” Lim said.
“So, if they have a medical sickness, where do they go? If they need money, there is no government support … they can’t rent a house.
You are asking, ‘Why are they committing suicide?’, but what other options do they have?
“Enough is enough. We cannot lose one more life.”
Samuel Kugathas speaking to federal MP Sam Lim outside Lim’s office in Willetton, Perth. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
Yogalingam is the 48th asylum seeker to have died awaiting a residency decision in the 12 years since the government introduced for asylum seekers arriving by boat.
“For a politician in the Labor government to come down here and say to these people: ‘I don’t know why you are upset, why you would possibly kill yourself’ shows a total lack of regard for what these people are going through,” she told SBS News.
Sam Lim’s comments labelled ‘deeply insensitive’
“But I’ve got a lot of sympathy [for] all these refugees. When I was a police officer, I handled a lot of their issues unnecessarily. And this is all caused by the previous government.”
“What was said in the open this time is a look behind the curtain of how Labor thinks about these issues and how it views people seeking asylum,” Shoebridge told SBS News.
There is no right or wrong way to flee persecution. No one should be judged on what mode of transport they took to get to Australia.
Following the exchange outside Lim’s office on Monday, protesters told SBS News they were disappointed by the MP’s response.
Anushanthini Jesuthasan, 22, is one of the leading voices at the Perth sit-in protest. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
“I honestly think it’s ignorance,” 22-year-old Anushanthini Jesuthasan said.
“People [should] take this seriously. He hasn’t really answered us or [given] us an answer, so we are really confused. That’s why we are doing this,” she said.
Thiwanika Lourthu Thasan was a baby when she arrived in Australia by boat with her family. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
Despite the offhand remarks, Lim pledged to help those camped outside his electorate office who are on temporary visas.
“When we took over as a government, we helped them. We approved 20,000 of them — from refugee visas to becoming a permanent resident. We have done our best.”
Refugees’ lives on hold
The protest outside Lim’s office comes amid mounting criticism of the government’s assessment process for asylum seekers on bridging visas, with similar protests staged outside MPs’ offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney this week.
These men and women in Melbourne are rallying outside the Department of Home Affairs office calling for change. Source: Facebook / Refugee Women Action for Visa Equality
The conditions for a subclass 050 bridging visa, like the one Yogalingam was on, prohibit work, study and travel, and visa holders must report to the visa office weekly, not engage in criminal conduct or “be disruptive”.
Arulselvam has been awaiting permanency for the last 11 years and holds a bridging visa that needs to be renewed every three months.
Anbu Arulselvam (centre) was only six when his family fled Sri Lanka by boat 11 years ago. Source: Supplied / Anbu Arulselvam
The teenager has less than three weeks of high school left, after which his education will come to an end because of visa restrictions.
“I feel very sad that others have already secured apprenticeships or enrolled at TAFE, while I’m unable to do the same. I have a Certificate II in engineering through school, but I can’t go on to study a Cert III or IV at TAFE.
I am not sure what the solution is … there is nothing I can do.
With only a few weeks of high school left, Anbu Arulselvam says his future is uncertain. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
Stephni Jesuthasan and her family are also among those on temporary visas at the Perth sit-in. She has a younger sister who was born in Australia, but she and the rest of her family are on bridging visas.
“But there is a sense of loss in belonging because we have not been able to get rid of our refugee label.
We have dreams that we want to pursue, but there is little hope in being able to pursue those dreams here.
Jesuthasan says returning to Sri Lanka is not an option: her relatives have all been killed.
Stephni Jesuthasan, now 20, says she has dreams she hopes to achieve one day in Australia. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
“We were constantly faced with questioning and threats at home … it was unsafe for us to stay there,” she said.
It found that, between January 2023 and March 2024, more than 1,340 people were subject to arbitrary arrest and detention, 26 people died in state custody and 21 were victims of extrajudicial killings.
Growing calls for a pathway to permanency
The process was introduced by the former Coalition government under Tony Abbott in 2014 as part of its Operation Sovereign Borders strategy, which included a no-resettlement policy for boat arrivals — a policy broadly supported by both major political parties.
Sri Lankan nationals make up 31 per cent of people on bridging visas living in Australia, the largest group. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
Independent human rights organisation the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) has criticised the process, saying it’s based on decisions that are “unfair and legally incorrect” and has forced genuine refugees to return to regions where they face serious harm and persecution.
“A timely reassessment of the protection needs of those rejected through the fast track process would be the most constructive response to the current situation for all those who have lived for years without certainty.”
A woman refugee braving the elements with her children to protest outside Lim’s office in Perth. Source: SBS News / Christopher Tan
Along with Power, 25 crossbench MPs have written to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, urging the government to create a permanent pathway for people like Arulselvam and Jesuthasan.