By Michael Gordon
THE husband of Ranjini, the Sri Lankan mother of two boys who has been deemed a security risk by ASIO, is planning a personal appeal to the Immigration Minister, Chris Bowen, for her to be released into his care.
The 36-year-old Tamil man, Ganesh, was told on Monday he had been granted permanent residency after arriving in Australia eight years ago. He says his wife has been suffering from depression and anxiety since being returned to immigration detention in May after ASIO's adverse finding.
Ranjini.
The couple met when he visited Ranjini while she was in community detention in Brisbane and married this year. Her pregnancy was confirmed the day after she was transferred to immigration detention in Sydney in May.
Ranjini, 33, has two sons, aged 6 and 8, to her first husband, who fought for the Tamil Tigers and was killed during Sri Lanka's civil war. Several Australians who have become close to Ranjini since she arrived at Christmas Island in 2010 say they are shocked that ASIO considered her a security threat.
Ranjini is among more than 50 refugees who face indefinite detention because of adverse assessments. A challenge to their detention and ASIO's refusal to put specific allegations to them has been heard by the High Court, with a decision expected in weeks.
Ganesh has moved to Sydney so that he can visit Ranjini and the boys each day in the visiting area of the family compound of the Villawood detention centre. But he says he is continuing the lease on their Melbourne home to give Ranjini hope for the future. He said he hoped Mr Bowen would allow Ranjini to be placed into his care or released into community detention. ''As long as she is with me, I think it is better,'' he said.