THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
March 1, 2022 at 18:55 JST
The younger sisters of Wishma Sandamali speak with reporters in Tokyo. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
The bereaved family of a Sri Lankan woman who died in March 2021 while detained by immigration authorities plans to file a lawsuit seeking compensation from the government.
According to lawyers for the younger sisters and mother of Wishma Sandamali, who died while detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Services Bureau at age 33, the family plans to submit the lawsuit on March 4 at Nagoya District Court.
One of the lawyers said the family wants the court to determine who should be held responsible for keeping Sandamali in detention even though she was starving and her detention there had contributed to her death, such as when officials failed to offer her necessary medical treatment by providing IV drips.
She had entered Japan in June 2017 on a student visa but was arrested in August 2020 for overstaying her visa.
In a report about her case, the Immigration Services Agency admitted that the organization was deficient in setting up an appropriate medical care system.
A panel of experts set up by the agency submitted a report on Feb. 28 about improving the medical care system for detainees.
While the report said treatment should be provided at the immigration facility if the detainee does not require hospitalization or surgery, it also called for full-time medical doctors to be on hand.
The report also recommended signing agreements with nearby medical institutions regarding the acceptance of detainees who may require more advanced treatment.
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