Crisis centre evicts Pisey

Meagan Paterson with Pisey.

November 14th, 2011
Eliza Sum
Geelong Advertiser (Australia)

A TORQUAY couple faces another heart-wrenching ordeal as their adopted daughter is about to become homeless in Cambodia.

Michael and Meagan Paterson have exhausted every legal avenue in bringing five-year-old Pisey home from Cambodia, leaving their fate in Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's hands.

However, the Patersons were last week informed that Mr Bowen is questioning the adoption's legality, even though it was verified and approved by the highest level of Cambodian government.

"The issue of adoption legality is absolutely insane the adoption was signed off by the Council of Ministers yet the Australian government wants more proof," Mrs Paterson said.

"The Cambodian document says we're her parents, but that's just not good enough for the Department of Immigration."

To make matters worse, the rape crisis shelter that Pisey has lived in for more than three years is now refusing to house her.

"The centre has said that she can't keep staying there because the original plan was to have Pisey out of there and home by November," Mrs Paterson said.

"It's now mid-November and soon she'll have nowhere to live.

"This has cost us so much financially, emotionally and physically I'm absolutely spent now. We'll have to spend even more money if we have to go back to Cambodia and sort out Pisey's living arrangements."

The ongoing period of separation is also taking its toll on Pisey, whose only form of contact with her adoptive parents is through Skype.

The family is now hoping to speak directly with the minister and plead Pisey's case.

"He has the full power and authority to grant us a visa but he's choosing not to grant or reject it, so we're now in a perpetual state of limbo," Mrs Paterson said.

Born to a mother who was raped, Pisey was adopted by Mr and Mrs Paterson when they worked at a Cambodian shelter. The adoption process began when Pisey was 18 months old, but the couple was forced to return home due to a family illness.

Adoptive parents have to be in Cambodia when lodging a visa application, but the Patersons said the Australian embassy told them the law could be waived by the Immigration Minister on compassionate grounds.

The advice was incorrect and the Australian government has refused Pisey's visa in line with Australian inter-country adoption laws.

eliza.sum@geelongadvertiser.com.au