Attorney-General urged to probe death of international student Bikram Lama who died sleeping rough in Sydney CBD
The NSW Attorney General is facing calls for a criminal investigation into the death of an international student whose body lay undiscovered on one of Sydney’s busiest streets for six days.
Bikram Lama, a 32-year-old Nepalese citizen, was found dead in bushes near St James station in Hyde Park in December last year.
It was estimated that around 100,000 people passed by his body every day before he was found by staff.
Mr Lama had gone to Australia to study computer science but fell on hard times and was unable to access support services because he was not a permanent resident, the Guardian reported.
Her death has reignited concerns about the number of rough sleepers who are unable to access support services because they are non-settled.
The City of Sydney found 346 people were rough sleeping in Sydney’s CBD last year; This was a 24 percent increase over the previous year.
Approximately 18 per cent of these were non-Australian residents.
NewsWire said independent MP Alex Greenwich had ordered the Attorney General to hold a criminal investigation into Mr Lama’s death to find out whether policy failures led to his death. Mr. Greenwich has been contacted for comment.
A spokesman for the NSW Attorney General said the coroner was awaiting a brief of evidence from police.
“Once this information has been received the court will examine the matter and decide whether to continue the investigation in accordance with the usual processes,” a spokesman said.
Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital is calling for urgent government reform to help non-residents in crisis and facing homelessness.
Non-residents are unable to access Medicare-funded health care, emergency shelter, and other support services, making them one of the most vulnerable groups in society, dependent on charities for food and basic needs.
St Vincent’s homeless health services manager Erin Longbottom told news.com.au Bikram’s tragic death had exposed gaps in services available to non-residents.
“We call on the state and federal governments to change the current system to allow non-residents to access the support they need in a crisis,” he said.
