NewsA Sri Lankan asylum seeker family taken from a small Queensland town were pulled from a plane overnight just minutes before they were due to be deported, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. Border force officials removed Tamils Nadesalingam, Priya and their two Australian-born daughters from Biloela last week and put them in a Melbourne detention centre. It's understood the couple came to Australia separately by boat in 2012 and 2013, following Sri Lanka's civil war. The removal of the family from the small Queensland town shocked the community so much so they decided to take action to bring them back. Biloela residents will hold a vigil at 5.30pm on Wednesday, while a petition to return them to their home has reached almost 60,000 signatures.

Source: Sunday Times March 14, 2018 06:11 UTC