India-based family of a 29-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil asylum-seeker, who died after he set himself ablaze here recently, has been denied an Australian visa to attend his funeral scheduled for tomorrow.
Leorsin Seemanpillai immolated himself and died in a hospital here early this month.
His funeral would be held in Geelong tomorrow without his family members present, ABC news reported today.
The offer to send his body back to Sri Lanka or India by Immigration Minister Scott Morrison was rejected by his family who said it would only cause them more grief because of the fear of being targeted at funeral.
The victim's brother, Ezekeil Seemanpillai, had his visa application refused for attending the funeral after the immigration department said it doubted his 'genuine intent to stay temporarily.'
It said that Ezekeil was unemployed, had no savings and was unskilled and as such is in a state of "financial disadvantage".
Seemanpillai's parents did not have travel documents to apply for a visa.
Seemanpillai was about six when his family fled from Sri Lanka. He arrived in Darwin from India on January 9, 2013, and was held in detention before being granted a bridging visa with work rights in June last year.
