Refugee's death in detention regrettable, says former minister
THE death of a Sri Lankan refugee in Sydney's Villawood detention centre is "highly regrettable", former immigration minister Chris Evans says. The Tamil man, who had already been granted refugee status, committed suicide in the western Sydney centre early on Wednesday, the Department of Immigration has confirmed.As was report earlier in The Australian Online, it is believed he was awaiting a security clearance from ASIO.

Senator Evans, who served as immigration minister under the Rudd government, said the increased number of asylum-seeker arrivals was straining the system."Obviously, the death is highly regrettable and my sympathies go to the family," he said.

 ..."There's no doubt there are issues involved with detaining people, but equally Australia has a border control mechanism which is designed to say 'You can't come into the country without a visa'."Refugee Action Coalition spokesman Ian Rintoul said the man, who was known to his friends as Shooty, was taken to hospital after taking poison, but died shortly afterwards.

He said a number of approaches had been made to the Immigration Department to have Shooty released into community detention, but they had been unsuccessful.

The dead man's failed bid to be released to attend a Hindu festival may have sparked his suicide, Mr Rintoul said.

"Whether that was the final straw, it's impossible to know," he said."How many more lives will it take before the government acts to end mandatory detention? "How absolutely tragic, but how telling, that an accepted refugee could feel despair enough to take their own life in a detention centre."

Senator Evans, who now holds the employment and workplace relations portfolio, said that while mandatory detention was needed for health and security checks, community detention was often a better option where it was possible.

"There is a need for efficient processing," he said. "It's partly because the system has been under pressure due to the increased number of arrivals." The latest death at Villawood comes after three detainees committed suicide at the same complex in 2010.

A spokeswoman for the Immigration Department said there would be an investigation into the circumstances of the man's death, and would not comment further.  Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, MensLine Australia on 1300 78 99 78 or Multicultural Mental Health Australia at www.mmha.org.au