A Myanmarese asylum-seeker who recently received a special residence permit filed a damages suit against the government Friday, demanding 11 million yen for being detained despite his status as a refugee, his lawyers said.
The 41-year-old man "may have been given a special residence permit but his (mental and physical) damage was too deep to let this pass," lawyer Masako Suzuki told a news conference after the suit was filed.
The Myanmarese was detained by immigration authorities between July 2003 and November 2004, when he was granted a provisional release. On March 1, he was issued a special residence permit.