A Tamil asylum seeker has died after a suicide attempt in Australia last week, following the rejection of his asylum application by the Australian government.
The 45-year-old, who has not been named, was admitted to a hospital near Brisbane last week following the suicide attempt which left him brain dead. He passed away on Sunday after life support machines were switched off.
The Tamil man, who has a wife and four children still in Sri Lanka, was initially held in Nauru in 2012 before being sent to Australia in 2014.
"This Tamil asylum seeker is another casualty of deliberately harsh policies to break people who make asylum claims," said refugee advocate Ian Rintoul.
"They are denied natural justice and have been subjected to unacceptable delays, and denied legal help."
A number of Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka have had their asylum claims denied recently, added Mr Rintoul.
"It's very contentious this question about how much (Sri Lanka) has changed since they left and how safe people are."
Australia's asylum policy which has seen Tamil refugees among others deported back to danger has drawn wide criticism, including from the United Nations.
This year a Tamil refugee, deported to Sri Lanka despite direct criticism from the UN refugee agency, was arrested and charged by Sri Lankan authorities.
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