By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Officials from Australia and Sri Lanka recently began discussions to inhibit the extensive people-smuggling into Christmas Island and other regions of Australia. The Australian and Sri Lankan foreign ministers met in Colombo on Monday to discuss maritime security with Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa. The issue of Sri Lankan refugees seeking asylum in Australian territory became more imminent while the two nations planned discussions on the social detriments and dangers of people-smuggling, as refugee boats bound for Australia were captured just this week. Many of the Sri Lankan asylum-seekers are of the Tamil minority race, who endure increasing and persistent persecution in Sri Lanka due to the May defeat of the Tamil Tigers rebel group. Although most of the refugees are civilian nationals with no actual affiliation with the Tamil Tigers, the Sri Lankan government has taken no measures to mitigate rights violations perpetrated against the Tamil minority. Discrimination in employment and other fundamental rights further push the Tamil minority out of Sri Lanka to seek a decent mode of living.
The Sri Lankan Tamil minority began emigrating to Christmas Island, which serves as a haven for many people of troubled countries. However, accumulating an excessive emigrant population due to years of entering refugees, Australia’s border patrol elevated security around the island’s surrounding waters.
Australian guards also solicited the assistance of the Indonesian border patrol to curtail the influx of refugees into Christmas Island and Australian land. Indonesian vessels have captured numerous Tamil boats and escorted them to Indonesian docks. Many passengers on the captured vessels refused to leave the docked boats until Australia granted them asylum, sometimes engaging in hunger strikes and other forms of protest.
Although the Australian maritime security vessels have saved Tamil boats facing trouble in the water, Sri Lanka and Australia both explicitly express their contempt for human-smuggling. Both nations argue that the operators of the refugee boats are simply opportunists capitalizing off the dire situation of the Tamil minorities. Sri Lankan officials also suggest that the Tamils leaving Sri Lanka represent a poor class of people searching for a greater livelihood, denying any allegations of persecution.
The Australian and Sri Lankan governments mutually agreed to prohibit the use of force to deter or detain Tamil refugee boats. However, Sri Lanka’s denial of human rights violations raises issues concerning its motives for wanting to keep the Tamil minority within Sri Lankan borders.
For more information, please see:
Al-Jazeera – Boat people on Colombo talk agenda – 09 November 2009
The Australian – Tamil economic refugees: Sri Lanka – 12 November 2009
VOA News – Asylum Seekers Adrift on Boat – 27 October 2009
