By Corey Everitt
The refugee community of South East Melbourne has gathered to mourn the tragic death of Tamil refugee Karunakaran Rasasundran and support his family.
After Mr Rasasundran’s death in early February, a GoFundMe campaign was created to help support his wife and two children. The campaign received more than $6000 in 10 days.
The funds helped the Mr Rasasundran’s family cover the costs of his funeral, which was attended by 200 people.
Karunakaran Rasasundran was a Tamil refugee who left Sri Lanka in 2013 to arrive in Australia, where he was given a Safe Haven Enterprise Visa.
Mr Rasasundran lived in Sydney for six years before restrictions were placed on his visa that forced him to relocate to Pakenham to work in a “rural area“.
He was employed in the metal recycling industry.
During this time, Mr Rasasundran battled personal issues that led to his tragic death.
Fundraiser creator and Tamil Refugee Council founder Aran Mylvaganam said it was a story that was not uncommon for refugees, who were torn from their homes and moved from place to place.
“Refugees rely on the community more than we would, so all of a sudden you are removed from that community, things become more complicated,“ he said.
“This is not the first time that someone had taken their life by suicide, every fortnight we see someone take their life or are found dead.“
Mr Mylvaganam said what helped refugees in the immediate term was the collective support that was shown in response to Rasasundran’s death.
The response to the fundraiser was heartening, Mr Mylvaganam said.
“I let friends and family know that the fundraiser was there and all of sudden there was a wave of support from all these random people, it was good to see,“ he said.
Though most donations are anonymous, Mr Mylvaganam believes the predominant support has come from the local refugee community in the South East suburbs.
“At the funeral there were about 150 to 200 people and all of them were refugees. I couldn’t see, other than one or two people, that weren’t refugees,“ he said.
“Refugees look out for each other, that is how they are coping with this.“
The support has helped Mr Rasasundran’s family immensely to pay funeral costs and other finances.
However, Mr Mylvaganam said support will still be needed in the future for the Mr Rasasundran’s wife and two primary-school aged children.
“It’s still going to be a struggle for her as a single mother raising two kids without particular job skills, without the language, but I believe the community will still support her,“ Mr Mylvaganam said.
Details: gofundme.com/f/funeral-for-refugee-karunakaran-rasasundran.
If you are experiencing issues with mental health contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or seek support at Beyond Blue beyondblue.org.au/get-support
