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Australia issues bridging visas to Lankan family

Published

5 years ago

2021/06/25

A Sri Lankan Tamil family that had spent years in offshore detention has been issued bridging visas that will allow them to work and study on the Australian mainland, ABC news reported yesterday.

Australian Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced he had issued the Murugappan family with three-month bridging visas.

The decision comes after the Murugappan family was recently moved into community detention in Perth, where youngest child Tharnicaa has been receiving medical treatment.

“This decision allows three members of the family to reside in the Perth community on bridging visas while the youngest child’s medical care, and the family’s legal matters, are ongoing,” he said in a statement.

“The fourth family member’s visa status is unchanged.

“The family will continue to have access to health care, support services, housing and schooling in the Perth community.”

The Murugappans had settled in the Queensland town of Biloela but were removed in 2018 after a court found they were not owed protection.

Wednesday’s decision by the minister allows the two parents to work and study in Perth.

The Murugappan family has spent years fighting deportation to Sri Lanka, after they were found not to be owed protection in Australia.

Supporters have been urging the federal government to allow the family to return to the Queensland town of Biloela, where they had been living before being placed in immigration detention in 2018.

Four-year-old Tharnicaa was recently released from hospital after being medically evacuated from Christmas Island to Perth with a blood infection.

Family friend Angela Fredericks questioned why Tharnicaa had not been granted a bridging visa like the other members of her family, saying it meant the family could not leave Perth.

“While we welcome Priya, Nades, and Kopika being granted bridging visas, we wonder what precisely is the minister’s objective in denying little Tharni one,” she said in a statement released by Change.org.

“This family must stay together, and they need to be back in Biloela as soon as humanly possible.”

The visas do not guarantee the family will be allowed to stay in the country long term.

Shadow Home Affairs Minister Kristina Keneally said she hoped the decision was the “next step” towards allowing the family to return permanently to Biloela.

“Australians will welcome the news today that the minister is personally intervening in the Biloela family’s case and using his ministerial discretion to grant bridging visas to Nades, Priya and Kopika,” she said.

“It’s welcome that the family is not under those strict detention conditions. Nonetheless, they are not able to travel to Biloela, whilst the minister is maintaining that Tharni must stay in Perth.”

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President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.

The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.

Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.

Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.

Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.

(PMD)

News

CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund

Published

4 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.

Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).

Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.

(PMD)

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Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum

Published

6 hours ago

2026/05/18

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.

As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.

The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]