‘sleep
rough’ – would mean – ‘ to spend the night in the open; be without a home or
without shelter’.
2014 Commonwealth Games (officially the XX Commonwealth Games) were held
in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 3 August 2014. It was the largest multi-sport event ever held
in Scotland, participated by 71 Nations
with around 4,560 athletes across
17 different sports. It is the sad plight of an
athlete who like others aspired to run his way to glory. He competed in the 100-meter relay race at
the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow full of pride. Exercise was once a way for him
to compete, to show off his stuff. Now, it’s a way for him to keep warm. He now
runs to ward off the London cold, and uses a park gym to stay in shape with the
hopes of returning to competition on the world stage. Sad to read !
Sierra Leone is a
country in West Africa, bordered by Guinea, Liberia and the Atlantic
Ocean. Sierra Leone has a tropical
climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. Freetown is the capital, largest city, and its
economic and political centre. About
sixteen ethnic groups inhabit Sierra Leone, each with their own language and
custom. The two largest and most influential are the Temne and the Mende
people. Although English is the official language spoken at schools and
government administration, the Krio language is the most widely spoken language
in the country and unites all the different ethnic groups in the country,
especially in their trade and social interaction with each other. In 1961, Sir Milton Margai led Sierra Leone to
independence from Great Britain and became the country's first Prime Minister. Much
water has flowed since as the country was ravaged by civil wars and presently
by an epidemic.
Globally
Ebola is the dreaded thing …. Ebola virus disease (EVD), Ebola hemorrhagic
fever (EHF), or simply Ebola is a disease of humans and other primates caused
by an ebola virus.
The virus may be acquired upon contact with blood or bodily fluids of an
infected human or other animal. Fruit bats are believed to be a carrier and may
spread the virus without being affected. Once human infection occurs, the
disease may spread between people, as well.
Ebola is extremely infectious but not extremely contagious. As the Ebola
virus continues to spread in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, health officials
are concerned that myths and misinformation may continue to spread too. The
virus has claimed more than 2,800 lives so far, as there are alarming reports
of rise incidence.
This
post is about an athlete who has been ‘sleeping rough’ and for whom there is
growing Online support. It is the story
of top Sierra Leone sprinter, Jimmy Thoronka struggling in Britain since last
summer's Commonwealth Games and claiming asylum 'because his family have died
of Ebola'. He was
detained recently by Police who found him in an emaciated state. Thoronka
has since claimed asylum and is in Home Office accommodation. An online petition appealing to the
authorities to let Mr Thoronka remain in London has so far attracted more than
57,000 signatures
MailOnline, BBC,
Guardian and host of other British papers report that Sierra Leone's top
sprinter who went missing after Glasgow's Commonwealth Games last summer, is
now applying for asylum in the UK after he was found sleeping rough on the
streets of London. Jimmy Thoronka, 20, disappeared at the end of the Games and
failed to return to the Ebola-hit west African country. Already orphaned by the
war in Sierra Leone, he claims that his entire adopted family have been wiped
out by the disease while he has been in the UK.
Thoronka, who said
that he wanted to claim asylum in the UK so he could fulfill his dream of
becoming a top athlete, now faces deportation. An online petition appealing to
the authorities to let Mr Thoronka remain in the UK has so far attracted more
than 57,000 signatures and well wishers have donated more than £24,000 to help
the young athlete. Among the high profile names to support his plight are
supermodel Lily Cole, and comedian Russell Brand.
The Guardian said
it had interviewed Thoronka before he was detained for overstaying his visa. He
claimed there were no flights to Sierra Leone immediately after the Games and
his team-mates all scattered, some staying with relatives and friends until
they could return home. He said his own bag -
containing his money and passport
- were stolen. His visa expired last September and after a brief stint
with friends, he has been sleeping on the streets in parks and on buses ever
since. He told BBC correspondent that he
wanted to claim asylum in the UK so he could fulfill his dream of becoming a
top athlete. Asylum is only granted to
those who are in fear of persecution in their home country.
He
said of Sierra Leone: 'Nobody persecute me or anything, my problem is I don't
have a family there to stay with. The person who would help me has passed by
Ebola. If I go back i will not make it and I will kill myself, because i cannot
pursue my dream. I want to be the fastest sprinter in the world.' When Thoronka, the country's number one 100m
sprinter, left Sierra Leone for Glasgow, some Ebola cases had been confirmed in
a few of the villages surrounding Freetown, but the epidemic had not yet taken
hold of the capital. The runner said: 'I was hoping to win a medal for my
country. But during the Games I got the terrible news that my uncle had died,
probably from Ebola. 'I couldn't stop
crying. After the games, he was left in the lurch - 'Some days I get no food at
all. I wash in public toilets and sleep in the park,' he said. 'We have a cold season in Sierra Leone but it
is not cold like England. Some days I don't think I'm going to make it and just
feel like killing myself.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
11th Mar
2015.
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