Officials dispute fit-to-travel claim for Sri Lankan girl

By MATHEW DEARNALEY

South Auckland public health officials deny an Immigration Service claim that psychiatric staff cleared a severely sexually abused Sri Lankan teenager for removal to her homeland.

The service said yesterday that a Counties-Manukau District Health Board crisis team assessed the 16-year-old girl as "fit to travel" after she and her grandmother lost a legal battle last week to stay in New Zealand.

A High Court judge rejected their appeal against a refusal by Associate Minister Damien O'Connor to let her stay, after the Refugee Status Appeals Authority ruled the pair were not refugees.

This is despite what her lawyers say is their fear she may be killed by either of two uncles who subjected her to years of rape and abuse before she fled to New Zealand in 2002.

Spokesman Brett Solvander acknowledged the service was relying on a report from the Counties-Manukau team, following its examination the girl on Thursday night at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre, to press ahead with plans to repatriate her.

But the board's clinical head of child and adolescent mental health, Dr Hugh Clarkson, denied that clearing the girl to travel was the team's job and he said it gave no such verdict.

Dr Clarkson said the team's primary responsibility was to determine whether individuals required emergency psychiatric treatment.

He implied this was not judged the case with the Sri Lankan girl, whose name is suppressed, but was not at liberty to disclose medical details.

But although she remains in custody with her grandmother, awaiting removal at short notice, her lawyers say a team doctor reported she was "in crisis" and he had advised refugee centre staff to keep a close watch on her.

Lawyer Philippa Cunningham said he warned of a high suicide risk and high overall risk, because of the girl's distress at her imminent removal.

Ms Cunningham has also given the Crown a new report by Auckland City Hospital consultant psychiatrist Dr Karl Jansen, who visited the girl on Sunday night and found her unfit to travel.

Fellow lawyer Carole Curtis, who accompanied Dr Jansen, said the girl remained cowering under her bed and clutching a teddy-bear, whispering "please don't kill me" and then screaming.

Mr Solvander said the service was not prepared to discuss the Jansen report, and would not for security reasons reveal when it intended removing the girl.

Neither will the service identify the airline that brought her to New Zealand, which it says has an international obligation to fly her out.

Ms Curtis said she arrived via China with Korean Airlines, whose officials were unavailable for comment yesterday.

Airline Pilots' Association spokesman Garth McGearty, an Air New Zealand international captain, said normal procedure was for airline doctors to assess the fitness of dubious passengers to fly but the flight captain had the last word.

He said most captains, if faced with conflicting medical advice, would refuse to allow a disturbed passenger on board as safety overrode international obligations.

Pilots rule

* Airline doctors assess the fitness of problem passengers but the flight captain has the last word.

* If faced with conflicting medical advice most captains would refuse to allow a disturbed passenger on board as safety overrides international obligations.

Source: Airline Pilots' Association