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© KYODOJapanese gov't drops bill to revise immigration law amid opposition
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Scarce
Why not DEPORT the person instead of detaining them until DEATH? Just a suggestion. If they "say" they can't go back to their home country, put them on a plane anyway, fly the plane to the country, and have the home country police remove them from the plane. At least they won't be in detention and DIE!
JJ Jetplane
The government is comical. They only reason they are putting off an absolutely horrible bill is that they don't want to deal with public backlash during the Olympics.
towingtheline
Sounds reasonable if trying to hide or coverup evidence is considered reasonable.
Goodlucktoyou
I was deported. I live here now. I feel for refugees, and I lost everything but came back by following the rules, not lying or cheating.
Paul
How can Japan try to be equal to the rest of civilized world when they can't follow international law.
oyatoi
Chasing the dream; only it became a nightmare. One of millions, chancers all, seduced by El Dorado tales of those who came before. I have nothing but the deepest pity for her that her choices led to this.
kennyG
Current law which has just failed to be revised due to opposition's usual practice suspends deportation once those apply for refugee status and they can do try and error for the same application to dodge the deportation.
Not all countries readily accept illegal stayers deported at their airports.
and it is not rare that airline companies facing troubles those deported often make in the plane reject their boardingsThe embassy of each countries should take more responsibilities in such case, I think.
Gaijinjland
It’s a sad story. Not doubt it is her fault for overstaying her visa and the various reports said she stopped attending her language school and other reports say she simply couldn’t afford the tuition. And then other reports say she then was working at a bento factory. How could she have been employed if her visa was invalid? These factories that employ mostly southeast Asians legally need to confirm visa status unless they pay cash under the table.
But what is disgusting to me is that she was issued a deportation order. She had loving family in Sri Lanka who would have surely taken her in. My guess is Japanese immigration wouldn’t pay for her ticket home and her family couldn’t afford it. So they let her die. Disgraceful.
Kokegawa
"Security reasons". Obvious BS.
bokuda
This Documental about the J-Immigration will soon be released.
"an injustice of Olympic proportion"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HadlfyQ-dH8&t=2s
kennyG
Yes. I agree. disgusting to hear this kind of story if every details reported have been the facts. However, she must have known or be supposed to know the entire tuition plus living expense in advance to finish the school. There must be some unknown critical facts no media has reported so far.
Yes I agree but the time sequence between her visa expiry date and the date of her employment is not known yet. Besides, victims could lie.
No media has so far reported her being unable to pay air fare back home is the reason for rejection. Besides, the cost of official deportation ( meaning air-fare) is basically paid by a host country( in this case, Japan) .
Her family would be able to send her money to buy her one-way thicket back home if they can afford to fly here to attend her funeral.
didou
If you start the story, I’d like to know the reason of deportation and why it went that way ?
I would imagine overstaying or family issues, separated from kids or something like that resulted in overstaying then deportation
William77
I’m so sorry to say this,but if refugees are looking for a safe place where they can be understood and treated with respect and understanding then don’t come to Japan.
Because none of such things will be find here.
Only cold shoulders and inhumanity.
Things will never change with the Nippon Kaigi,actually they will revert.
Already they made life a hell of a nightmare for us which we come from the so called developee countries.
So many duties and so few privileges.
Japan wants to revert to the Edo era.
William77
Pathmasekara Kumara
Sri lanka government has blocked entry to everyone including citizens since March 2020 due to Covid. This might have delayed her deportation, can't blame only the Japanese side.
kennyG
Yes. For the fairness, the ones who posts their experience at detention centers or being deported should talk about exactly WHY
oyatoi
...so called developee countries
You’ve coined a useful new word that better describes a country with pretensions to ‘developed’ status, but which in significant and fundamental ways prefers the ignominy that comes with thumbing its nose at the Geneva Conventions that are supposed to govern humane treatment of detainees.
Ken
Years ago when I came to Japan as a student,I used to sing songs of praise about Japan tnd my family and friends.I used to invite them to visit Japan and used to go to my country with Japanese people and introduce Japanese businesses to my country.
But after living here for many years and seeing how foreigners are treated,I no longer sing the songs of praise and no longer invite my family and friends.
Infact my family and friends have noticed that and they've been asking me to pack up. I have a business here but I'm seriously planning an exit and relocate.
garypen
Irrelevant. If she died in custody due to inadequate medical care, then it was 100% J-gov's fault.
kennyG
Appreciate if you could give us all some examples how other developed countries treat illegal stayers or detainees whichever you like
kennyG
Again. She was not a refugee under the definition of UNHRC treaties, as far as we all know her reason for having refused deportation. It rather looks she was unfortunately a victim of visa fraud scum
bokuda
i can tell you about UK.
the immigration center has ping-pong tables, sports and other activities, services, internet and you can have your smartphone with you.
bokuda
feel free to do that.
then do not complain if other countries stop giving visa to Japanese citizens, or you got out of workers because immigrants refuse to come to work here.
bass4funk
Japan prides itself on low crime and the rule of law and conformity, and a high standard of living being a 1st world Asian nation, that is the outside shell that sparkles and that the world is always in awe with about Japan, the sad thing is, the world knows almost nothing about this dark side of Japan and scares a lot of foreigners and anyone can get caught up in that trap if they are not careful. Detention in Japan by definition is incarceration, it just has a different definition according to the Japanese/English interpretation. It is cruel and scary and puts the individual in a perpetual state of limbo.
kennyG
That's was nearly how new bill was supposed to revise the law which has just got crushed by opposition
and this incident
Antiquesaving
Looks more like she was a victim of abuse, neglect, incompetence, etc... By the people at immigration.
kennyG
You're talking about facilities. Did those mean that much to her? Japanese detention centers also have ping-pong tables.
http://www.moj.go.jp/isa/applications/guide/tetuduki_taikyo_shisetsu.html
Furan
I see people trying to shift the blame solely unto one party here, when it was a whole chain of events that led her into this situation. This being the actions of the deceased herself, the man she lived with, and lastly the detainment.
What do my fellow foreigners gain when trying to blame solely the government for what happened?
Was it the government that made her invalidate the grounds on the visa granted to her? Did it force her to overstay her visa? Or did it force her to move to Shizuoka to move in with a dubious man? Did it force her to get physically abused by the man (which ultimately resulted in her detention)? Did it force her to undermine her own credibility and integrity or was it maybe her own actions that kickstarted this whole mess? What about the man that pushed her into the executives hands? Or the family who didn't have the money to get her back to Sr Lanka, only to later fly to Japan to make an international scene? Where was the embassy?
If you read the released Japanese report and are able to do more with a Japanese text than run it through Google translate, you'd notice that there was never any stated explicit need to get her hospitalized.
The given procedures seem to have been followed.
She did not deserve to die, but this situation could have been avoided first and foremost by herself as her questionable decisions were the driving force that put her into detainment in the first place. And even if she hadn't been detained, there could be a chance she still would have died of the same exact causes, as she didn't seem to have any money to begin with. Humor my strawman question, but would you then have demanded that the government gives out free healthcare to people without a visa because of human rights?
To now blame it solely on the government is so ignorant of the facts and so irresponsible that it almost borders on sick humor. Of course, the officials had their part in the matter, but not to the big part people are making it out to be.
Also,
All the respect for having a business and all, but If you get this lost over sympathizing with people who have demonstratively broken rules and refuse to integrate themselves to a level where they can be detained by the executive, then I think it would be for the best that you go back to your country. as you'd probably end up enabling rule-defying behavior in fellow foreigners with that stance, which in turn has the potential to cast a shadow of doubt and xenophobia over foreigners who do follow the rules. Please do me a favor and take the likeminded people with you, while you're at it. You absolutely don't have to force yourself to be here if you don't want to. お疲れ様 & 行ってらっしゃい。Please excuse me for being so direct.
This is literally all I have left to say on this topic. Thanks for reading until here and have a nice day.
Alan Harrison
Japan overhauled it's immigtation system in 1987, and it was completely abused by some untrained, un-educated, and rather uncivilized junior immigration officers. A few years later, I spoke to a trained, educated, civilised senior immigration officer. She agreed that a lot of damage had been done.
Wolfpack
Has it escaped the oppositions notice that had the new law been in place and the lady overstaying her visa was deported immediately she might still be alive today? Just saying...
She wasn’t a refugee - she was already in the country on a legal visa. She failed to adhere to the terms of the agreement she entered into with the government of Japan. In other words she broke her side of the contract. There are no doubt a lot of personal and most likely emotionally involved reasons why she refused to leave voluntarily. We will likely never be privy to that part of the story. I agree that the Japanese authorities should have taken better care of her but the immigration service isn’t a health care service. She had health problems since January and failed to adhere to her visa agreement. She should have gone home, gotten herself sorted out and reapplied. She is partially responsible for her own fate.
I don’t fault Japan for their tough immigration rules. For a non-citizen they are a serious pain to navigate through. But looking at the social dysfunction of Western multicultural nations who can blame them? America is a social wreck right now and it’s getting worse by the day. In some Western European cities women can no longer safety walk after dark due to an epidemic of rape. I enjoy going back and forth to Japan - that is a privilege - not a right. I respect their laws because they made them for themselves- not to placate non-citizens living in some far off corner of the globe. For international couples it can be difficult but it’s what we chose for ourselves. I’ve found that if you obey the rules in Japan and don’t insist on making Japan exactly the same as the place you came from, you can get along just fine.
oyatoi
Thanks, I will.
There’s the recent example of the millions fleeing Syria as well as a grab bag of other impoverished countries, given refuge and sustenance in Europe and elsewhere in the West. Or, the millions over the preceding 50 years making a beeline for those same places precisely because they knew they could look forward to being treated with a little dignity and respect. No prizes for guessing why tens of thousands of Indo Chinese who ‘illegally’ entered Australia after 1975 chose to make that perilous voyage rather than try their luck with places like here where they knew no welcome mat would be waiting.
Sankara
Rest in peace Wishma.
And shame on all the people putting the blame on her.
She did not deserve to be left to die in that detention.
This is not just about the laws,but it's about being humane.
The police seemed more concerned about her visa status than her situation of being a victim of domestic violence.
Peeping_Tom
"i can tell you about UK.
the immigration center has ping-pong tables, sports and other activities, services, internet and you can have your smartphone with you."
Yeah, yeah yeah.
This for starters:
"There is no time-limit on long you can be detained (if you are an adult) in the UK – you can be detained indefinitely. The exception to this is pregnant women, who can only be detained for up to 72 hour, unless extended by ministerial approval."
"https://righttoremain.org.uk/toolkit/detention/"
Antiquesaving
No it isn't a whole chain of events.
Simple common sense, simple UN and internal agreements on human rights, all state that the state is responsible for the care and treatment of this detain by the state, in this case the Japanese government.
I does not matter if the detained was illegally here, was a criminal, mentally ill, purple with spots, male, female, other, etc...
The Japanese authorities were responsible for her care, she was not freely able to seek medical attention, it was the authorities job/duty to get her that attention in a timely manner, which they obviously didn't.
The excuses of her being here overstaying and it being her fault is just that an excuse trying to shift the blame.
If the situation was a Japanese in custody of another developed country the same people now trying to shift the blame on to this woman, would be up in arms complaining about the Japanese being a victim and the government of that country was responsible, we no that because it is what has always happens, it would be front page news with warnings about the dangers of that country!
Hypocrisy is what it is called and very typical of the Japanese government if never taking responsibility and "pledging", "looking into" "not our fault", etc...
bokuda
unbelievable how some people walk great lenghts to swift the blame to the victim.
this time is gonna be difficult to blame it on the gaijin.
Loveline
This is an oversimplified exaggeration. Conditions in Europe vary (even within states) and life for the average refugee in Europe is arguably no better (or worse) than what they would have experienced in Japan. Please also note that (sadly), organized opposition to these refugees in Europe is very widespread and hate groups targeting refugees are so extreme that their movements are associated with incidents of violence and yet they still have so much backing from some in the public that they even have their own political parties in certain areas of Europe. The tragedy and struggles of refugees are not exclusive to those who seek asylum in Japan.
Also note, the choices of the average refugees in the situation you mention (escaping civil war) are based mostly (but not entirely) on travel logistics (this includes consideration of fiscally viable options that allow them to one day return to their homes) and feasibility. Essentially, they want the quickest path to the nearest stable state (preferably a state with a healthy economy, where they can find work or continue their education). Government Visa requirements and citizenship requirements play less of a factor in these these situations (again, many Syrian war refugees left with the hope that they would return when the fighting ceased). This is why you have millions of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon and far less in Canada for example. Japan was likely not a feasible choice for many of these refugees, and it probably had very little to do with Japan’s visa policies.
just want to note that Australia’s acceptance of Indo Chinese refugees was motivated less by humanitarian concern as it was a political maneuvering (it was also a response to the fact that up until that point, Australia was under scrutiny for its poor record of accepting refugees of color). Also note, that during the migration of Indo Chinese, Australia almost immediately enacted stricter rules on incoming refugees (hardly a “welcome mat”)
Wolfpack
But aren’t you shifting the blame wholly onto the Japanese government as well? To say Sandamali played a roll in her own death due to her actions doesn’t imply that Japanese authorities do not share responsibility. We don’t know the exact circumstances of her death. For all we know she was virtually murdered through neglect. I am not saying that happened just making the point that there is no publicly known independent evidence of the circumstances under which she perished. Perhaps the governments tight control over the release of information surrounding the woman’s death is suggestive of a government cover-up? But perhaps she was under reporting the seriousness of her illness? Can’t make conclusions based on partial or little information. So many seem to jump to a final conclusion for ideological reasons or due to simple dislike for Japanese law. .
FtGuy2017
Privation of medicine care leading to the death of the person in a very well wealthy country, jailed because of an over-staying-visa incident, I personally think it has to sound OK only to someone who has no humanity.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
1) Wishma ... had several months to realize her best choice is to move back to Sri Lanka. As far as staying in Japan on concerned, she had no case - she violated her visa, Sri Lanka is not in some state of civil war, and the man that's supposed to be a threat is in Japan.
If anything, as far as her death is concerned, I put #1 blame on the rights groups behind her. They should have objectively analyzed her situation, realized she had no case for staying in Japan, recommended she accept deportation to Sri Lanka and if necessary even paid for her plane ticket. Instead, they encouraged her to stay even as her health deterioriated to defend her (non-existent) right to stay in Japan.
2) The opposition should not have opposed the revisions to the immigration law. From the viewpoint of the legal system, there is no reason why a purported refugee who failed three rounds of review has a reasonable expectation of winning the fourth, and he should not be allowed to infinitely reroll the dice until he gets lucky. Even criminals only get two rounds of review (and the second only under fairly limited circumstances) so why should a purported refugee get more? As for human rights groups from other countries, if you are so sure that's a genuine refugee, please offer him / her a place in your place.
And the bill does have some meaningful concessions - allowing conditional release on the guarantee of a Japanese entity, which I suspect would be a pretty popular choice for the bureaucrats involved. I really "like" how the human rights groups shies from any responsibility ... just like a bureaucrat.
bokuda
that's the kind of mental acrobatics the Japanese do to blame it into the gaijin.
i got a good laugh, thank you.
Furan
People die in custody of immigration offices around the globe every year. And even if it was a Japanese national - if their actions had landed them in there and there were delays in getting medical care that they could have gotten in their home country or outside of detainment, then that would also (not solely, mind you) be their responsibility for getting detained in the first place.
But, that's a nice strawman argument you have there.
bokuda
she was asking for protection, no to be detained.
the immigration agent is the one responsable for that decision.
the doctor was asking for her to be released and to IV her.
the immigration agent decided to ignore the dead girl and to ignore the doctor.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
@bokudaToday 12:34 pm JST
If you are a criminal on the loose, you are about to be killed by your gang, and you run to the police for help, expect them to arrest you and prepare you for your trial and conviction, not "protect" you. Though, the detention cell does have the side effect of making you significantly harder to kill.
As for the rest, see my last reply on the previous thread.
bokuda
@Kazuaki Shimazaki Today 12:58 pm JST
How low can you get?!
you're comparing her with a criminal, and insulting her memory.
~ah! the irony.
here the real criminals wear batches and run the detention centers.
kennyG
I still hope J-Govs discloses all the info it has before this issue would become some like fake historical-recognition issues where lies over lies have been piled up, and bear the responsibility as a developed democratic country if there is any. In such sense, her family might as well sue J-gov here in Japan. Why not. Whichever verdicts are given, it would be better for all the parties involved so as not to make this kind of tragedy happen no more.
For those who are still interested, I leave several more info which I assume only a few have known yet
Disclaimer: The source is TBS 報道特集 assuming TBS reporting only the truths.
1.Her family borrowed money putting up their house as a guarantee for her tuition (TBS MC)
She had enough money for her tuition when she came to finish the school (by Japanese lawyer)
It is suspected all those money possibly taken by someone
She moved to Shizuoka with this fellow Sri-Lankan man and told a lie "he is her brother" to the owner of the apartment to live together. Her Visa expired and quit job too. Suffered DV from this man and finally got the bounce as she could not afford to share house rent and foods any longer.
This man was also arrested on the same day.
Asking for protection from this man's DV, she was initially hoping to return to her home country.
She got shocked by receiving threatening letter despite that she assumed he could no way know where she is (or where she is detained)
She started getting afraid what if...he gets transferred to the same detention center
As for the recommendation for provisional release made by a psychiatrist dated on Mar 4, he also referred to possibility of feigned illness, hysteria. (TBS seems intentionally not stressing this point)
Her room at the center was really a small room.bogva
Yes, she broke the law, but immigration policy and practice in Japan is seriously outdated, needs reform and humanity! I guess they play it tough because many try to fake again because of the outrageous conditions and because of unacceptable infinite lost of freedom.
The death of this woman is just the tip of the iceberg!
Seth M
When you are deported, accept it and pack up.
bokuda
its never like that.
every human being has a different situation, problems, studies, careers, dreams, ...
you must listen carefully to them and handle every human live like an unique and precious thing.
kennyG
@oyatoiToday 02:26 am JST
Thanks. Seems not much left after Loveline's post. As a matter of courtesy, and putting aside realities in Europe and Australia's immigration policy changes during 1972~1975, both well known already, I wondered how more humane what you define developed countries treat either illegal stayers and/or detainees in ordinary circumstance in comparison with Japan. Neither about ping-pong tables, nor about refugee as defined by UNHCR ( as she was not ) nor historical events about a country's immigration policy change.
I post the actual numbers in the previous thread. As of 2020 end, the number of illegal stayers in Japan who refused deportation was 3110. Of those 3110 refusers, about 80%(2440) are being provisionally released(meaning not detained). Nonetheless, of those provisionally released2440, 1 of 6 ( 420 of those 2440) are actually at large and wanted which includes those who actually committed crimes other than illegal stay.
What you define the developed countries must have higher than 80% provisional release ratio or must be actively accepting those with non-refugee status but with their personal reasons into the countries. DO THEY?
kennyG
Ever heard of Special permission to stay (在留特別許可)? Check number of cases if you want.
bokuda
actually, I know about Special Permission Visas.
According to some Immigration Lawyers I know, the chances to get one are even lower than getting a Refugee visa.
...is not even worth trying.
BTW, you're publishing some numbers taken from the official moj.go.jp
Don't you know that they do not publish all the data?
The info they release is heavily filtered and biased. The real numbers are never released.
kennyG
Great. Please, for the sake of all, show us the proof of the real numbers not being released.
You' re doing such a good job unless you are not lying. We must see the THE TRUTH
bokuda
immigration has no obligation of showing the numbers.
they just cook some to look good, but never show all of them.
a good example is the Sry Lanka girl. they are releasing almost nothing. they don't need to.
kennyG
Ever heard of Information disclosure system ? Opposition parties using it to ask and criticize government.
Immigration Service Agency of Japan does have a legal obligation to disclose numbers through the system.
It has been disclosing the numbers since 1959. You are saying it is cooking the numbers. I am suggesting you to present your own proof(s)
kennyG
You are probably mistaking the news reported that Immigration Service Agency of Japan had refused to answer to the ad-hoc inquiries from media about why she was not granted provisional release, etc. for the disclosure system
kennyG
You seem to have detained in UK and in Japan and know the difference. Would you mind telling why you have detained?
bokuda
i know very well the documents that are being sent between embassies.
and i know for certain that most cases are not released to the public.
if immigration is oblied to release all data.
Why can't we get any documentation or video footage from the dead Sry Lanka girl?
Do you still trust the j-immigration?
How far do they need to go to lose your trust?
kennyG
I said numbers, aka, statistical data being released every year. And It is not realistic for them to disclose/answer everything to every ad-hoc requests/questions made by the mob, when those are highly related to individual privacy , that might then go against individual info protection law. As for a Sri Lanka woman, her family should go to the court whereby they surely could watch video footage/all the documents being disclosed.
bokuda
She is not an individual anymore, there's nothing to protect. She's gone, forever!!
Do you still think that they have ever been transparent?
What makes you think that they aren't using the same excuse to not release other data?
kennyG
Video Footage for example discloses even her figure peeing on the toilet in the cell. How far do you think
information disclosure outside the official legal process (meaning the trial at the court) should be allowed
even for the gone? Please use your common sense.
bokuda
that's very nasty. film people peeing is inmoral, and a crime against human rights.
Why are you doing that?
Are you legally allowed to take people on the toilet on camera?
kennyG
Did you know or didn't you know how detention center's cells are like?
bokuda
I do know how they are.
They a nothing like the pictures they release to press... they are small, filthy cells.
Detainees are equivalent to criminals in all aspects. The rules that they follow are a copy word by word of the prison rules.
you lost all humanity once you get in, so any right you used to have is gone by now.
... I get depressed every time I step in one of these places. How sadistic can the human beings be in Japan.
kennyG
Every time? How many times? and why? You keep blaming the prison-like place but never mentioned how come you ended up at such place for not just once.
How come you didn't even know 24 hours surveillance camera.
bokuda
They need translators when going to the doctor.
I have the same question for you.
How many times you've been there and Why?
kennyG
Never been there. and you? and why?
bokuda
sorry, I wasn't explicit enough.
they call me to help when going to medical centers.
kennyG
I see. You visit there to help as translator. Not been detained there.
So you actually do not have experience as a detainee either.
bokuda
I live in fear.
Looking at the expiration date of my gaijin card every time.
The obscurity and in-humanity of that "public" servants is horrific.
We must force them to show it all, to be transparent.
kennyG
No need to fear. Unless you intentionally overstay or illegally working here.
bokuda
Who does it intentionally?
Do you think for a minute that people overstay or work illegally for fun?
kennyG
She did. She knew it's been expired.
kennyG
Renew your visa before it expires. Just simple as that.
bokuda
unless you're starving, abused, and exploited.
... have you ever tried to be empathetic to people?
kennyG
Did you mean you were starving, abused, and exploited back in your home country?
Are you thinking of overstaying/illegal working?
bokuda
nope, there's a misunderstanding here.
the Sry Lanka girl was being abused by a men in this particular case.
She didn't overstay for fun, she did it over despair.
kennyG
No Do reality check. Her visa expired and she knew it. That was the reason she quit part time job at Bento-shop and no longer able to share the house rent and food expense with this man who got angry and kicked her out.
That was written in her letter . See? bokuda. Unless you check and understand this situation as they were, it maybe the waste of time for both of us.