Rescued after 22 hours in freezing water,Para Paheer applied for asylum in Australia. An extraordinary friendship with a Victorian woman helped ease the pain of waiting eight years to see his wife and sonThe word nandri comes easily and often to Para Paheer: to the bishop who rescued him from torture, to the ship’s captain who plucked him from the ocean after 22 freezing hours in the water, and to the Victorian family who adopted him in his adopted land,and to the Australian community at large for his family’s moment chance.
Paheer’s near decade-long search for safety and to be reunited with his wife and child has been marked by trial and tribulation, but it is nandri – Tamil for thank you – that he reaches for first upon reflection on his journey. Related: Sri Lanka accused of waging 'silent war' as Tamil land is appropriated by army Related: Twelve former Australians of the Year condemn government and urge action on Manus Related: Australia built a hell for refugees on Manus. The shame will outlive us all | Richard Flanagan Related: Why achieve you want people to drown at sea? | First Dog on the Moon Related: Australia still embraces multiculturalism but fracture lines are deepening | David Marr Related: Australia's offshore detention regime is a brutal and obscene piece of self-delusion | Ben Doherty and Helen Davidson Related: Sri Lankan man 'risks torture and rape' if deported from Australia Related: moment cohort of Nauru and Manus refugees to be resettled in US Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com