Many unanswered questions over tragic death of Wishma in a detention cell in Japan
The tragic death of Sri Lankan Wishma Rathnayake in a detention camp in Nagoya, Japan despite her repeated calls for hospitalization and medication has received publicity in the New York Times of May 18 and stirred up a hornets’ nest across the globe. The mysterious manner in which she died does not appear to have generated much condemnation in Sri Lanka, probably due to the COVID-19 epidemic the country is grappling with.
Initially, it was reported that she had high fever and subsequently her face and limbs turned numb and her health deteriorated to such an extent where she could only take a little water with sugar and a slice of bread. Though she begged for hospitalization for treatment, all her pleas fell on deaf ears of the authorities who suspected that she was faking illness to avoid deportation. The 33-year-old died alone in her cell on March 6.
With this unfortunate death, Japan’s immigration system has been subjected to criticism. Critics say that she became a victim of an opaque and capricious bureaucracy, which provides unfettered powers for the immigration authorities to deal with foreigners who have overstayed their visas.
The authorities’ blunt refusal to ignore her appeals for medication--a patient who had been ailing for some time in detention camp--certainly deserves outright condemnation by civil society. Twenty four detainees have died in custody since 1997 according to the Japan Lawyers Network for Refugees, including in the recent past, an Indonesian and a Nigerian. None of those cases evoked the kind of public anger and outrage that Wishma’s case has.
Though the detention centre is reported to have a medical facility, it is deemed to be more or less a village dispensary with limited medical facilities. A doctor who is reported to have examined her had recommended immediate hospitalization, but the authorities had refused.
How effective are the Sri Lankan foreign missions in dealing with Sri Lankans domiciled in those countries is the question that begs answers. According to the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Sri Lankan Embassy, Japan, there are 26 detainees in Japanese Immigration Detention Centres.
Readers would recall that the present Labour Minister on assuming duties recalled the
Labour Officers attached to the foreign embassies for pecuniary reasons. These Officers’ main task was to look into the welfare and grievances of the Sri Lankans irrespective of the fact whether they were over-stayed detainees or not. Had we not recalled them, the precious life of this victim could have been easily saved without any embarrassment to the government.
Athula Ranasinghe Colombo 5