... arrived in the UK in October 1973, on a twelve-month student visa, but overstayed his visa. He was an active supporter of the Tamils and, in the UK, the Revolutionary Communist Group. He claimed danger of death if he was sent back to Sri Lanka. Following a march to protest against his deportation on 20 December 1986, he ran into the Church of the Ascension and claimed the right of sanctuary. He stayed in the church for the next two years, with the help of the rector John Methuen. The church became the focus of the Viraj Mendis Defence Campaign, which opposed his deportation.
On 18 January 1989, police raided the church and arrested Mendis. This led to a large demonstration, and questions in the House of Commons.
Mendis was deported back to Sri Lanka, and his fears did not materialize. He claimed that his case had received so much publicity that the Sri Lankan government did not dare to harm him. He later moved to Germany and became chair–person of the International Human Rights Association in Bremen, defending refugees facing deportation and working for Tamil liberation.
In 2010 he was refused permission to enter Britain for the funeral service of John Methuen.
© Haydn Thompson 2017