World

Cook Islands Woman Unable to Secure Transit Visa to Return to Sri Lanka

By Today News Hours Editorial Desk

Ruchira Ranasingha, 50, has been stranded in the Cook Islands for three years after leaving Sri Lanka in 2018. She originally sought asylum in New Zealand, where she was granted an asylum‑linked open work visa. While on a short stay in the Cook Islands to apply for a work visa, her application was rejected and she breached the terms of her New Zealand visa. New Zealand has refused to issue her a transit visa that would allow her to fly home, and Australia has also declined. The only other destinations she could reach from the Cook Islands—Tahiti and Hawaii—require biometric information to be provided in New Zealand before a visa can be processed. She has applied for transit visas to New Zealand and Australia three and four times respectively, all of which were rejected because authorities were not convinced she would leave New Zealand. She has offered to be handcuffed and escorted, but a New Zealand immigration representative said such measures do not prevent an asylum claim. Ranasingha’s brother says they have sought help from the Sri Lankan government, which is working with New Zealand authorities to facilitate her return. She is desperate to attend her son’s wedding in November and to be with her ailing mother. The situation has caused her significant financial loss and emotional distress. New Zealand immigration law specialist Alastair McClymont notes that the authorities will not grant a transit visa because they believe she has no intention of returning to Sri Lanka after making an asylum claim that her life was in danger there. The Sri Lankan foreign ministry is taking steps to assist her repatriation.