Due to the death of a Sri Lankan woman who was detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, the Immigration Bureau has decided that even if a woman asks for a medical examination at a medical institution, she does not need on-site staff. We released the final report that the treatment system was inadequate, and dismissed four executives including the director as admonitions.
A Sri Lankan woman, Wishma Sandamari, who was detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, complained of poor physical condition (33) and died in March. We investigated whether it was there and published the final report on the 10th.
According to this, Mr. Wishma requested medical examination and intravenous drip at a medical institution after January when he became ill, but he did not report to the director and decided that it was not necessary only by the staff at the site, violating the internal regulations. It is pointed out that the operation was carried out.
In addition, because the doctors and nurses in the doctor's office in the facility are part-time, they were absent on the day of their death, and even if Mr. Wishma's condition deteriorated, only the staff would handle it, and the medical system was not in place. increase.
He said that he wanted to promptly consider the fact that he did not promptly approve the application for staying outside the facility temporarily, considering his physical condition deteriorated.
In the future, we will ask those who complain of poor physical condition to actively admit it.
In addition, the director of the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau and the deputy director at that time advised that the system for providing appropriate medical treatment was inadequate, and the other two executives were punished with strict caution.
Mr. Sasaki, Secretary of the Immigration Bureau of Japan, said, "I am keenly aware of my responsibility as it became clear that the medical system and the systematic response system for people with poor physical condition were not in place, and I apologize for the human life. I am aware that the tension as an administrative agency that entrusts me with the medical care and the way I put my heart into it were insufficient. "
After that, he soon apologized to the bereaved family, explained the contents of the final report, and revealed the idea of disclosing a video showing Mr. Wishma in the facility.
Current status and issues of containment
Mr. Wishma was detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau for more than half a year from August last year to March this year.
In recent years, immigration facilities have been detained for a long time, and the background is that the number of foreigners who have expired their status of residence and are illegally staying is increasing.
Wishma was one of them.
As of January, the number of foreigners staying illegally in Japan was 82,868, an increase of more than 20,000 over the last five years.
Under these circumstances, foreigners detained in the facility have been deported but refused to return to their home countries, resulting in prolonged detention.
For this reason, the Immigration Bureau of Japan allows foreigners who meet certain conditions, such as a low risk of escape, to live with their relatives, etc., without being accommodated in the facility until they leave the country. We aimed to enact amendments to the Immigration Control Act.
The amendment was deliberated in the ordinary Diet session this year, but the ruling and opposition parties confronted each other over the investigation of the truth about Mr. Wishma's death, and the amendment was postponed. It will continue to remain.
On the other hand, the effects of the new coronavirus have created new challenges.
The Immigration Bureau of Japan is actively utilizing the "temporary release" measure of temporary release from the facility in order to avoid "denseness" from the viewpoint of preventing the spread of infection.
As of the end of last year, about 3,100 foreigners have been deported but refused to return, but so far more than 2,800 have been granted "provisional release". I did.
As a result, the number of people detained in the facility has decreased to about 250, and the lengthening of detention has been temporarily suppressed, but more than 400 of the "temporary release" people are missing. A new issue has arisen in which people are blinded and their whereabouts are unknown.
The background to this is that the procedures for deportation and detention stipulated by the Immigration Control and Refuge Law have not been significantly revised for more than 70 years.
It is not expected that foreigners will refuse to leave the country or that the detention will be prolonged, and the current situation is that it is not possible to deal with foreigners who stay illegally just by operating the site.
Affects parliamentary deliberation
Mr. Wishma's death also had a major impact on parliamentary deliberations.
Prior to this final report, the Immigration Bureau of Japan published an interim report in April, summarizing changes in physical condition until Mr. Wishma died.
According to the report, Mr. Wishma, who had been illegally staying since January, was admitted to the facility in August last year and complained of poor physical condition since mid-January.
For this reason, a total of four doctors were examined at the hospital inside and outside the facility, and it was diagnosed that there was suspicion of reflux esophagitis or mental illness, and medicine was prescribed, but in March Died on the 6th.
Mr. Wishma initially wanted to return to Japan, but after that he said, "I want to live in Japan with Japanese supporters," and in January, he asked for a temporary release from the facility. I was not admitted and was applying again in late February, complaining that I was "sick".
On the other hand, amendments such as the Immigration Control and Refuge Law, which reviews the detention of foreigners who have been deported due to illegal stay, were submitted to the ordinary Diet session, and after the interim report was published, full-scale deliberation was conducted. It began.
Opposition parties such as the Constitutional Democratic Party and the Communist Party have said that in order not to repeat the same situation, the truth of Mr. Wishma's death is the first decision, and he cannot accept the amendment.
Among them, the problem was that "temporary release" was not granted even though I was feeling ill.
Opposition parties did not do so even though the referral letter of the doctor who consulted two days before their death stated that they recommended provisional release, and that statement was not included in the interim report. He pointed out such things and criticized that "there is doubt about the objectivity and fairness of the investigation."
Then, as concrete and objective evidence, he requested that the video of the surveillance camera showing the state of Mr. Wishma in the facility be disclosed.
On the other hand, the ruling party said, "The deliberation of the bill and the death of Mr. Wishma are different stories," and aimed to pass it in the ordinary Diet session.
Then, amendment discussions were held to find a breakthrough, and the outline of the amendment to the amendment, such as ▼ taking measures to ensure transparency in the decision of detention and ▼ setting an upper limit on the detention period. However, the opposition party requested that the immigration bureau, which operates the system, be a reliable organization, and that it should disclose the images from the surveillance cameras.
However, the Immigration Bureau of Japan did not respond to the disclosure due to the protection of the dignity of the deceased and the security of the detention facility. ..
Wishma's sister "If you were careful, you wouldn't die."
Two younger sisters, Wayomi and Paul Nima, who are coming to Japan to find out the truth about the death of Sri Lankan Wishma Sandamari, who was held at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau, have released the final report. Earlier, in an independent interview with NHK, he complained that "if immigration was more careful, my sister would not have died."
Wishma's two younger sisters came to Japan in May and asked for the truth about her sister's death by meeting with Minister of Justice Kamikawa.
Mr. Wayomi and Mr. Paul Nima responded to NHK's independent interview before the publication of the final report.
For the younger sisters who lived with their mother and Wishma, Wishma was a kind and solid sister instead of her father.
When I heard that my sister died in a Japanese immigration facility, she said she couldn't believe it.
Mr. Wayomi said, "I was a very kind sister. He took care of us like my mother. I couldn't believe my sister died. I thought it was a mistake. I actually saw the body. I couldn't believe it as a different person. I couldn't have died from immigration even though I had no illness. "
The two, who asked for the truth about the death of their sister, said, "The report should be issued immediately when he died, but I think the reason why he did not issue it was because he made a mistake in immigration." I revealed the feeling.
"I think my sister wouldn't have died if the immigration was more careful. My sister has loved this country. It's hard to believe and I'm really sad to have died like this. I hope the final report is credible and accurate, "he said, asking him to reveal the truth about why his sister died and couldn't help.
Men in containment at the same time "I think the people in containment are scared"
A Nigerian man who was detained at the Nagoya Regional Immigration Bureau at the same time as Sri Lankan Wishma Sandamari, who died, said, "I'm really sorry that Wishma died. I'm afraid of those who are still in the facility and those who have been detained since they are not responsible for immigration and do not tell me why they died. "
The man himself became ill during detention and was temporarily released in June, but regarding the medical environment during detention, "the human beings (immigration officials) inside (the detainees) ) Even if I'm sick, I can't decide when to see me by saying "Please wait a moment". I'll call you when the nurse comes. I didn't know what it was. I wondered what it was. "
On top of that, "I may have been in the same situation as her. I want you to think a little more about how to take care of people for immigration. It is human beings who take care of them. It is life to take care of them. Everyone thinks. If you are your own family, think about how you would feel if your son or daughter died in another country. "
(Immigration final report related, V available).
At a press conference, Minister of Justice Uekawa said, "While I was feeling ill, the loneliness, anxiety, and regret that I had was beyond my understanding. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. "
On top of that, "If we were constantly re-examining the basics of keeping an important life as a detention facility, we could have been closer to each other. We will carry out reforms and fulfill our responsibilities. "