A BURMESE mother and her two adopted sons who were facing deportation from Shetland have won a long-running battle to stay on the islands.
Hazel Minn and her sons, Simon and Vincent, first fled to Britain in 2002 to escape Burma's military regime.
Miss Minn, 40, had criticised the military regime as an activist with the Baptist Church in Burma and sold all her possessions to pay
for flights to Britain for herself and her sons.
They arrived on Shetland to stay with the children's grandparents and subsequently applied for political asylum. However, in 2004 they were told by the Home Office that they would have to leave the country.
Almost 7,000 islanders, a third of the population of Shetland, signed a petition calling for the family to be allowed to stay in Scotland.
The campaign was also supported by Shetland Islands Council and local church leaders.
Yesterday, Miss Minn paid tribute to the people of her adopted home as she spoke of her joy and relief after the Home Office ruled that she and Simon, 15, and Vincent, 14, could remain in their new home at Stucca, Hillswick, on the remote north-west tip of the Shetland mainland, where they live with the boys' grandparents, Lilian and Bert Armstrong.
Miss Minn said she felt like was "living in a dream", adding: "It's a huge relief for me and the boys are delighted.
"I would like to thank all our supporters. So many people supported us and without all their help we wouldn't be here. We love living here. The people are kind and friendly and helpful."
Miss Minn explained that she had been interviewed at Lerwick police station in December 2006 and told there would be a final decision soon. However, the family heard nothing until earlier this week.
"I had to prepare everything in case the Home Office came and took me away," said Miss Minn. "I was really scared and depressed and couldn't sleep. All I could do was pray and cry myself to sleep.
"
Mr Armstrong, 71, said of the Home Office's letter stating that Miss Minn could say in Scotland:
"I was expecting bad news. But when I read (the letter] I couldn't believe it. It took several minutes to realise we'd finally cracked it. It's just wonderful news for Hazel and the two boys.
"It's a whole new way of life for them and five-and-half years of worry has now been lifted from us."
Burma is ruled by a strict military junta and political activities are heavily suppressed. Last September, anti-government protests led by thousands of Buddhist monks were met with a violent crackdown.
Mr Armstrong added: "If Hazel had been forced to go back, she would have been arrested immediately she came off that plane and nobody would have heard of her again.
"It's like the monks in the latest troubles in Burma. They have vanished since the uprising and nobody knows where they are."
The letter states that, following review of Miss Minn's case, she has been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, was at the forefront of the campaign to fight the deportation.
He said: "This is tremendous news which has been a long time coming.
"It is outrageous that it takes as long as this to get a decision in what should be a fairly straightforward case."
He added: "I have no doubt the support Hazel received from the community played a significant role in this decision.
"This is a victory for the whole community."
The full article contains 613 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
