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The last family left: before the coronavirus crisis came to Christmas Island, Nades, Priya and their two little girls were already here

Rob Scott7NEWS
VideoTamil family living on Christmas Island before coronavirus quarantine centre opened still has uncertain future.

Long before the coronavirus crisis came to Christmas Island, Nades, Priya and their two little girls were already here as the last family in immigration detention.

Even after the Wuhan evacuees are freed from quarantine the family will still be locked up.

Twice a week, flanked by guards, they're allowed to visit the island's recreation centre in what is a rare chance for the girls to play with other children.

This may be their last outing as they wait to find out if they’ll be sent back to Sri Lanka.

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Lawyer Carina Ford said, “there's no other case I can think of with immigration detainees where the family has been detained with no other people, it's very unusual.”

Nades and Priya fled Sri Lanka's brutal civil war - arriving separately by boat in Australia - where they met and married.

Priya, her husband Nadesalingam and their two Australian-born daughters, aged four and two, are in immigration detention on Christmas Island.
Camera IconPriya, her husband Nadesalingam and their two Australian-born daughters, aged four and two, are in immigration detention on Christmas Island. Credit: Unknown/Twitter

Both girls were born in Australia.

A Federal court hearing next week will be their final chance to convince a judge they're genuine refugees and should be allowed to return to their home in Biloela in central Queensland.

“I'm thinking positive my court case is good decision, I back to Biloela,” said Priya.

After years of fighting their hopes now rest on whether two year old Tharynicaa can apply for a protection visa.

Ms Ford said she believed they had a strong argument to put forward.

Phosphate Hill is one of three detention centres on the island and it's where the family has spent the past six months, sharing the same room and sleeping in the same bed.

The family says being on Christmas Island is like being in prison but still better than being sent to Sri Lanka, where they say they do not know what will happen to them.

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