By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
MERAK, Indonesia – A group of Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic minorities have been subject to threats and oppression by the Indonesian Navy. Approximately 250 Sri Lankan nationals have asserted an absolute refusal to leave the ports of Merak until Australia concedes to giving them asylum.
This particular group of refugees from Sri Lanka are among many more Tamils who fled from Sri Lanka to escape persecution by the government. After the defeat of the Tamil Tigers insurgency organization earlier this Spring, the Sri Lankan government has continually mistreated Tamils, causing many of them to resort to migrating away from their home land into less hostile territories.
Thousands of Tamils began fleeing Sri Lanka seeking asylum in Australia. Christmas Island, a landform off the coast of Australia, has been the desired destination from refugees of many war-torn nations in the middle-east. However, due to the abrupt influx of refugees, causing inundation of the island with myriad, refugees, the Australian government called upon the Indonesian government to send vessels to intercept Sri Lankan goats.
The Sri Lankan Tamils’ desire to leave for Australian territory has produced numerous human rights violations both on the Australian and Sri Lankan ends. Human smuggling, as colored by the Australian and Indonesian governments, has created a lucrative opportunity for boat operators to exploit many impoverished nationals.
Further issues have risen concerning the safety peoples on these boat. In one instance, passengers on a refugee vessel have threatened to detonate their vessel if the Indonesian border patrol came any close to the ship.
At another point, Tamils on a refugee ship escorted to an Indonesian border engaged in a hunger strike to convey their desperation for achieving asylum in Australia.
An organization based in Australia called Refugee Action Coalition recently made statements concerning the assurance of the Tamil refugees’ well-being. Indonesian naval vessels have slowly been approaching the Tamils’ vessels. The Indonesian forces intend to physically remove the Tamils from their current position along the Merak port city
The Tamils, however, fear being taken off their ships under the belief of facing persecution by the Indonesian government. They also have expressed apprehensions about being sent back to Sri Lanka, where they will face abuses from the government there.
The Tamils face a situation in which they cannot be safe in either lands, making it more significant that the Australian government grant them asylum.
For more information, please see:
Al-Jazeera – Sri Lanka asylum boat ‘threatened’ – 3 December 2009
New York Times – Australia Puts Its Refugree Problem on a Remote Island… – 5 November 2009
Sydney Morning Herald – Rudd took Indonesia for granted over asylum seekers – 17 November 2009
