Mistaken protester sets himself on fire 

A Pakistani man in Australia set himself alight to protest at his family's
failure to get visas but didn't realise they'd been granted.

The 48-year-old is in a critical condition. He set himself on fire at the
entrance to the parliament building in Canberra.

The Australian Daily Telegraph reports he wasn't aware his wife and
child's case had been reviewed.

Parliamentary officials doused the flames with a fire extinguisher as he
sank to the marble floor of Parliament's Great Verandah.

He was rushed to a Canberra hospital before being flown by helicopter to
the burns unit at Sydney's Concord hospital.

A witness said: "From the waist up he was well and truly alight ... I
watched him for a good couple of minutes.

"He was rolling around on the ground ... but he stopped moving by the time
anybody went out there with a fire extinguisher - I thought he was gone.
He did not say anything, he just screamed."

According to the paper, his protest was unnecessary because the case had
been reviewed and their entry had granted.

The man was granted permanent residence several years ago and has been
trying to secure immigration visas for his family since then.

Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock said: "I am shocked and dismayed that
someone would take this sort of action and wish to convey my sympathy to
the man's family in Pakistan."

Copyright 2001 Ananova Ltd