A Nepali asylum seeker who has lived in Kirkcaldy for nearly 12 years was sent to Dungavel removal centre to await deportation.
Kishor Dangol will be flown to his native country today after Border Agency officers arrested him on Monday.
His lawyers have launched a last-minute bid to keep him in Scotland and presented a petition to the High Court in Edinburgh this morning.
Speaking to The Courier from his cell in the South Lanarkshire centre, Mr Dangol (48) said he was trying to remain positive despite the odds being stacked against him.
He said he was devastated at the prospect of leaving behind his life in Fife.
“I feel very sad because I have been here for 12 years and my life is here,” he said. “If I go back to Nepal, how can I start again? There’s been too long a gap.
“Also, the political situation in Nepal is very bad just now. There’s no constitution and there’s no security. It’s a very unstable country right now.”
This year, the Court of Session upheld the Home Office’s decision to have Mr Dangol deported.
His solicitors argued he should stay because of his contribution to the community, delays in dealing with the case and the fluctuating situation in Nepal.
But Lord Bonomy threw out the appeal, stating there would be no “grave risk of serious harm” should Mr Dangol be returned to his country of origin.
He has managed to stave off deportation in the past. In 2008, he faced being torn from his friends in Scotland just before Christmas when he was arrested and taken to Dungavel.
However he won a reprieve after friends rallied round to pay his legal fees so he could lodge an appeal.
Having previously struggled with legal fees, when he spoke to The Courier he said he had just been granted legal aid, giving him a small glimmer of hope.
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Mr Dangol said his living conditions in Dungavel were fine, but being arrested had been an unpleasant experience and officers had not allowed him to phone his friends to say what had happened.
When he first arrived in Scotland in 1999, as a performer at the Edinburgh Festival, he planned to return to Nepal. But he applied for asylum on 2001, fearing he could be in danger due to his association with the communist party.
During his time here he has worked with the Nepalese Scotland Association and has volunteered for conservation projects including beach clean-ups in Kirkcaldy.
He was to go on a leadership course in the Cairngorms this weekend but is now dreading being sent back to Nepal.
“It’s a very big strain but I’m thinking positively,” said Mr Dangol. “Dungavel is OK but every time they open the door here I’m scared of what’s going to happen.
“I want to stay here to do better for people, for the environment and for the surrounding area.”
Recently elected MSP David Torrance, who as a local councillor supported Mr Dangol, said, “Kishor’s devastated, like myself. He’s been part of the community for more than 11 years. I’ve known Kishor for five years and am distraught this has happened to him. He’s a personal friend as well as a constituent.
“He has no personal belongings or anything with him. It’s absolutely atrocious the way he has been treated.
“It’s a very sad day for the community to lose someone like that, as he has put in so much effort over these 11 years. But the authorities say there is no danger because of political change in Nepal.”