In search of justice...

University visa refused for maternal care:

'I miss you so much in my sickness, your laugh, your smile, your touch.
You always brightened each day with all the smiles you sent my way.
I need you as my angel more than ever, to always be at my side.
I need you as my angel to give me peace of mind.
I like to think you are right beside me to feel your sweet presence,
Your touch and sweet embrace,
For every moment of my strength is you
For all that matters is being with you mum.
As the aching heart of a mother; tears and sorrow,
A mother yearns to be by her daughter's bedside.
For who knows what will hold tomorrow,
Hear all ye this mother's sorrow.'

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By Rosanne Koelmeyer Anderson

[email protected]

'Children are the anchors of a mother's life and what greater pain could there be for a mother to remember ones past happiness in ones present grief with hope, that her tears do not go unfounded for every bit of anguish her child now encounters. A poignant story of a young university student in Michigan who is today incapacitated having been diagnosed with 'Wilson's disease,' a very rare genetic disorder and hospitalized at the Michigan University Hospital. Having gone to the USA to pursue her higher studies the young student's fate and hopes were shattered, leaving her unaided miles away from home since July this year.

The sad plight of this young girl is that 'Wilson's disease' is an illness that has a debilitating impact on a patient which leaves a patient virtually handicapped and leaves one with much physical difficulty to even attend to ones basic daily needs. Assistance is basically required throughout for the upkeep of such persons. It is a disease that results in the culmination of too much copper which is consumed through food. As a result, a little bit of copper that accumulates in their body each day causing a copper toxicity and symptoms usually appear between the ages of 15 and 30. 'Wilson's disease' manifests itself as a liver disease or a neurological disease and it is fatal if left unaided. George J. Brewer, M.D., Morton S. and Henrietta K. Sellner, Emeritus Professor of Human Genetics, Emitritus Professor of Internal Medicine of the University of Michigan subsequently informed the parents by letter that parents would play a vital role in the recovery of such patients and it is best that they continue to be with her, assisting her mentally and physically.

Having been informed of the dreadful plight of their daughter, Mrs Hettiarchchige Pauline Lakshmie Perera and Mr Indrapala Munasinghe, went over to the USA having got a visa for year. Unable to bring their daughter back to Sri Lanka due to her serious condition and unavailability of treatment for the rare disease, they continued treatment for their daughter in the USA. The anxious parents were compelled to travel to the US on account of this grave sickness and live there from 2005 on legal grounds.

However we had family matters of a serious nature that warranted us to return to Sri Lanka in July 2008 having obtained travel documents with no difficulty. Once they attended to these family matters and they once again applied for a visa to go back to the US purely for the sake of being with their sick child and take care of her till some normalcy was restored to her health.

But the most seemingly intractable problems arose beginning with the refusal of a visa to enable them to travel to the US. to be with their daughter.

Having gone to the US on a multiple Visa for 5 years in 2006 Mr Munasinghe was offered the position of a scholar at the University of Michigan for a year and granted a J2 visa and the multiple visa was cancelled without prejudice. The J2 visa was valid till January 2007. The J2 visa was subsequently converted into a B2 Tourist Visa within the United States and was valid up to July 18, 2008 with the continuous extensions which were approved by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services every six months, Mrs. Perera states.

They arrived in Sri Lanka on July 06, 2008 to attend to some absolutely necessary family matters. If they did not return they now feel that they would have been able to get the visa extended in USA .

"Though I have been applying to the US embassy since July 2008, I find it hard to believe that the US embassy in Colombo is persisting with the refusal to grant me a visa The reasons advanced by the US embassy for the refusal of the visa inter alia states "that the applicant must demonstrate strong social economic or family ties outside the US on a clear credible purpose of travel."

Is there a more credible purpose than the sorry plight of a concerned mother of a very sick child is left to be answered. The Embassy has now asked the parents to apply for a visa under Humanitarian parole which may take as long as 8-10 months where as the mother's presence in the US is unquestionable and vital without delay. "At present the young girl's brother who is also studying in the USA is looking after her depriving himself of his own education and undergoing serious hardship which he unable to cope with", Mrs. Perera said.

'Having lived in the USA for nearly 3 years we found that it is a country that has a very high regard for human rights and the people of the US are also deeply conscious of such rights. All those citizens who are aware of our situation are completely supportive of our cause including Senators and Congressmen. In fact, we returned to Sri Lanka on a written assurance given by Congressman Mr. John Dingle which was based on an e mail sent to him by the US embassy in Colombo . This has even been supported by the highest in this land purely on account of the validity of my claim to be with my child in her hour of need,' says Mrs. Perera.

'We trust that the US embassy authorities in .Colombo will realize the validity of our claim in view of the reasons detailed above and consider our appeal for the sake of a sick child who needs especially her mother urgently,' they further stated.