The death of Bikram Lama, a homeless man known as the 'birdman' of St James tunnel, has shaken Sydney. The 32-year-old former international student died in his sleeping bag near St James station in December, and his body lay undiscovered for six days as up to 100,000 commuters passed by daily, according to a Guardian investigation.
Lama had been sleeping rough and was unable to access services because he was not an Australian citizen. Experts say non-residents are a growing cohort trapped in homelessness, unable to get temporary housing, work legally, or access Centrelink payments and public healthcare.
Writer Brigid Delaney expressed shame and sadness over the incident, questioning how a man could decompose in public for days without anyone noticing. She highlighted that Lama's only true companions were the pigeons he fed daily in Hyde Park, which gathered before his arrival and noticed his absence.
Delaney argued that the incident suggests a breakdown in the unwritten social contract of mutual recognition. She noted that commuters were likely looking at their phones rather than at Lama, and that the system is designed not to see homeless non-residents. She called for a return to basic acknowledgment of others, such as eye contact and nods, to prevent such tragedies.
