People seek asylum for very urgent matters like persecution that is life-threatening, wars, famine – and when a government takes in an asylum seeker, they bear the responsibility of making sure that the tale they’re being told is true as there are those who would abuse the system to gain entry into a foreign country. The UK was suspicious of a 67-year-old Malaysian man’s claim of being gay as he hadn’t been in a relationship since 2005-2016, among other things.
However, The Star reports that the man, Yew Fook Sam, has now been granted asylum for 5 years after the UK Home Office ruled that men can be gay and single at the same time.
Yew, who is currently studying at Liverpool college and is the LGBT class representative, was ecstatic at the news, saying, “Oh, my God, I was so happy. I was at college when my lawyer rang me, and I was screaming and shouting. I was so joyful,” and that the news was “the best Christmas present”. He first arrived in the UK in 2005 and never left, thus leading to his asylum plea.
It’s also been reported that the news of Yew’s victory is being considered a step towards banishing outdated stereotypes about gay people. At his immigration tribunal, a judge said that there were a “number of inconsistencies in his evidence that go to the very core of his claim to be a homosexual man”.
“The appellant claims that he had no relationships between 2005 and 2016. The appellant is unable to produce as a witness a single person in the United Kingdom who can vouch for the appellant in terms of being or having been in a homosexual relationship with him, either a loving relationship or a sexual one.
“Given that the appellant left Malaysia in order to express his sexuality, I find that incredible, ” said the judge.
Appealing his deportation, Yew told the court, “I said I hardly have enough money for food for myself, let alone to go out on dates. And anyway, I am 67, and I am short and fat and too old. ”
He added that he didn’t have a boyfriend as he is surviving on the 5 GBP (RM27) given per day to asylum seekers.
Well, we guess we’ll have to take him at this word! What do you think of this case?
Also read: Man Sues Apple For RM64K Because His iPhone Allegedly Turned Him Into A Gay Man
