Hundreds of supporters of a Tamil asylum-seeker family from the small Queensland town of Biloela have gathered outside Perth Children's Hospital, where the family's youngest daughter is being treated for a blood infection.
Carrying battery-operated candles and cardboard signs calling for the family to be released, the group sang 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' as they braved the wind and rain for an hour on Thursday night.
Three-year-old Tharnicaa was and admitted to Perth Children's Hospital on Monday after more than 10 days of high fevers, vomiting, and diarrhoea.
She was later diagnosed with a blood infection caused by untreated pneumonia, supporters said.
One Tamil man who attended the vigil held a sign that read: "don't deport Tharnicaa to danger".
Family friend Angela Fredericks previously told SBS News she hoped Tharnicaa would be able to see the "twinkling lights and know that she is not alone".
The family have been detained on Christmas Island since 2019. Source: Getty Images
Tharnicaa has been detained on Christmas Island with her sister Kopika, five, and parents, Priya and Nades Murugappan, since August 2019 after an urgent court injunction blocked their deportation to Sri Lanka.
Her mother was permitted to travel with her to Perth, but her father and sister remain on Christmas Island.
The Home to Bilo campaign, a group of friends and supporters who advocate for the family, said Tharnicaa's condition was improving on Thursday and she was feeling "better and brighter".
But she was still not eating, her mother said.
"Doctors are awaiting results from blood taken yesterday for tests, which will take two days to come back," the group said in a statement.
"Hugs for Kopika and Tharnicaa": The two girls, aged five and three, are the only two children still in Australian immigration detention. Source: Getty Images
Her medical evacuation has sparked renewed calls for the family to be permitted to live in the community while they await the outcome of their legal action.
Priya reportedly told the group she feared she and Thanicaa could be sent back to the remote island by the end of the week. "There has been no indication from the Australian Border Force if this will be the case," they said.
Hopes the family would soon be released into community detention on the mainland were dashed on Wednesday after Foreign Minister Marise Payne flagged that the .
But the family's lawyer, Carina Ford, told SBS News she had received
“It’s just hard to know was it a throwaway line that other things are up for discussion or is there something more concrete," she said.
SBS News approached Ms Andrews’s office on Wednesday to seek clarity on her comments but was told she had nothing further to add on the matter.
Supporters have claimed Tharnicaa was denied appropriate medical treatment after she became unwell. Priya said she had repeatedly tried to raise the alarm about the severity of her daughter's condition in the lead up to her evacuation but was only offered Panadol and Nurofen.
International Health and Medical Services (IHMS), who are contracted by the government to provide health care to detainees on the island, said in a statement on Wednesday that "appropriate and timely medical care was provided" to Tharnicaa.
It followed similar statements from the Department of Home Affairs, who strenuously denied any allegations of inaction or mistreatment towards people in their care.
A Department spokesperson said Tharnicaa had been receiving medical treatment and daily monitoring on the island “consistent with medical advice”, both through a general practitioner and the Christmas Island Hospital.
It is understood she was first admitted into hospital on Christmas Island on Sunday morning.
With Aaron Fernandes
