Canada Deports Another Gay Refugee

Another gay refugee has exhausted all options of remaining in Canada, and has been ordered to be deported.

Kulenthiran Amirthalingam first applied for refugee status in 2003, saying that he had been physically and sexually abused by police in his home country of Malaysia after being accused of being gay. There, homosexuality carries a sentence of 20 years of prison or caning. Canada’s own travel guide advises gay citizens to avoid the country, since arrests of gay people are common.

Unsurprisingly, given Canada’s history on the matter, Kulenthiran was deported because his adjudicator didn’t believe he was gay. Gay refugees are often expected to provide proof that they are gay after years of hiding it in their home country. Despite this, Immigration Minister Diane Finley has refused to overturn the ruling.

I wish Kulenthiran the very best of luck, and hope that Canada wakes up and reforms its refugee system to deal with these cases more sensitively soon.

• Last refugee bid refused to gay Malaysian [CBC News]
• Don’t send me back to Malaysia, gay man pleads [Montréal Gazette]