Asylum seeker dies after suffering burns to 90 per cent of his body

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison. Photo: Alex Ellinghausen

Patrick Hatch, David Wroe, Judith Ireland-June 1, 2014

A Tamil asylum seeker on a bridging visa has died with burns to 90 cent of his body after apparently dousing himself in petrol and setting himself on fire in Geelong.

A spokesman for the Tamil Refugee Council said 29-year-old Leo Seemanpillai feared being sent back to Sri Lanka.

Mr Seemanpillai arrived in Darwin by boat in January 2013 and was first granted a bridging visa last May.

Tamil asylum seeker Leo Seemanpillai. Photo: Combined Refugee Action Group/Facebook

He was taken to the Alfred Hospital on Saturday before dying of his injuries overnight.

Tamil Refugee Council spokesman Aran Mylvaganam said he had known Mr Seemanpillai for 13 months, and was at his bedside on Saturday night.

He said both his parents lived in a refugee camp in India, and were in shock over their son's death.

"He feared for his life if he was returned to Sri Lanka," Mr Mylvaganam said.  "His housemates have told me he repeatedly talked about being sent back, he was quite worried about it."

Trevor Grant, a convenor at the Tamil Refugee Council, said: "He knew that if he was sent back he'd face persecution from the military."

Mr Grant said Mr Seemanpillai suffered depression after fleeing Sri Lanka about five years ago and living in a refugee camp in India.

Mr Grant said he understood Mr Seemanpillai had a soft drink bottle full of petrol which he poured on himself and set himself alight.

Mr Mylvaganam said that Mr Seemanpillai had previously expressed his wish to be an organ donor, and his liver, an eye, both kidneys and a lung were removed for donation.

"We were in communication with the family last night and they wanted his organs to be donated, and as a result five people have benefited," he said.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said paramedics were called to West Fyans Street in the Geelong suburb of Newtown at 11.38am on Saturday.

Mr Mullen said the man was doused in petrol, which had been ignited, causing "full thickness" burns to nearly 100 per cent of his body.

A Victoria Police spokesman said: "At this stage we believe the injuries were self inflicted."

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said the government was working with the hospital to make funeral arrangements.

''I and the department and the government extend our deepest sympathies to his family and to his friends who are here in Australia,'' he said.

In April, another Tamil asylum seeker, identified as Janarthanan, doused himself in petrol and set himself alight in Sydney after a government decision to deport him back to Sri Lanka.

The tragedy came as Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said that an 18-year-old asylum-seeker had tried to kill himself on Christmas Island and several dozen detainees on the island remained on a hunger strike.

"This is the tragic, human consequence of the government's cruel refugee policy," Senator Hanson-Young said.

"A young man came to Australia, asking for our help, and we are failing him.''

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Mr Seemanpillai's organs were removed prior to death.