A DENTIST whose human rights were violated during his efforts to get a work permit renewal is to fight on after his application was finally rejected by Labour & Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister.

Dr. David Thompson heard last month that the permit renewal application that his prospective Bermuda employer, Dr. David Dyer, put in 11 months ago had been turned down.

But Dr. Dyer said he had already appealed against Minister Lister's decision.

"It was very unusual for the Minister to take that long to make a decision," said Dr. Dyer. "I don't know what his reasons were for turning it down, but he's not obliged to give them.

"So we have appealed against the decision to let the thing run its course and see what happens."

Dr. Thompson, from England, first applied to work for Dr. Dyer's practice in early 2001.

He received the work permit, then was told that he had to take an examination before he could practise in Bermuda, an examination only open to Bermudians and spouses of Bermudians.

After much wrangling, it was found that no such restriction existed in the Dental Practitioners Act and he was allowed to sit the exam. He was given a failing grade.

The grade was later contested and overturned in the Supreme Court, due to bias on the part of the Bermuda Dental Board examiners.

The Human Rights Commission also studied the case and found that Dr. Thompson's human rights had been violated.

The Bermuda Dental Board was given three weeks to respond and failed to do so. Its silence led to the case going to Community Affairs Minister Randy Horton, who ordered a Board of Inquiry to convene.

No date has yet been set for that hearing.

Dr. Thompson's first work permit was due to expire in March of this year, so he put in his application for a second one in December of last year. Mr. Lister finally rejected the application last month, seven months after the first permit expired.

"I would say if you look at the details of this case, Dr. Thompson has not had natural justice," said Dr. Dyer. "All of these events have not been of his doing.

"His life has been in limbo for two years. He's doing some part-time work in London, because he's not in a position to take on full-time work."

Speaking from his home in Britain, Dr. Thompson said: "As there are ongoing issues to be resolved and clarified, I am not at liberty to discuss this particular situation."