Mixed reaction to asylum seeker decision in Sri Lanka
Sally Sara reported this story on Saturday, April 10, 2010 08:03:00
ELIZABETH JACKSON: Human rights lawyers and former asylum seekers in Sri Lanka have also condemned the Federal Government's decision to suspend the processing of asylum seeker claims.
But the Sri Lankan Government has applauded the announcement and says Tamils have no need to leave their homeland.
Our South Asia correspondent Sally Sara reports from Colombo.
SALLY SARA: In the back streets of Colombo, a young Tamil man is still dreaming of life in Australia. Arockiam Anthony Lawrence has already tried and failed once to reach Australian shores.
He was picked up by the Sri Lankan Navy after the people smuggling boat he was on ran out of food and water. He's now on bail, accused of having links to the Tamil Tigers.
He says discrimination against Tamils is still going on in Sri Lanka and he believes it will continue.
Human Rights Lawyer Lakshan Dias says the Australian Government is jumping too soon if it believes the human rights situation has improved dramatically in Sri Lanka.
LAKSHAN DIAS: The situation is still not clear for anybody to return, especially from the minority communities. Things are happening in this country. Things are not very favourable for returnees.
So it's a very bad decision if the Australian Government decided to send them back. The human rights community in Sri Lanka believe that the Sri Lankan human rights conditions are not improved.
SALLY SARA: Mr Dias says if the Australian Government wants to reduce the number of asylum seekers it should be concentrating its efforts on trying to improve democracy and governance in Sri Lanka.
LAKSHAN DIAS: If the people have more access to an independent safety net, independent protection system, people will not go to Australia. People will stay here.
So that's the role of the Australian government; a government which believes in rule of law; a government which believes in democracy; which believes in governance.
SALLY SARA: Less than a year after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, tensions between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority are yet to completely evaporate.
Thirty-one-year-old Saman knows what it is like to be caught between the two. He is Sinhalese, but was accused of being a Tamil Tiger sympathizer.
He applied for asylum after reaching Christmas Island in April last year, but his application was rejected and he was sent back to Sri Lanka.
SAMAN (Translated): Yes, I am under threat. Since I arrived in the country I complain to the authorities - several organisations - regarding my security, and still people are searching me to kill me. So I am under threats.
SALLY SARA: But the Sri Lankan Government says old divisions have healed. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan was a senior commander with the Tamil Tigers. He's now Sri Lanka's Minister for National Integration and Reconciliation.
VINAYAGAMOORTHY MURALITHARAN: I can tell one thing; our country is perfectly safe for the people now. In the future we can develop our country very well; we can use the job opportunities, we can create the jobs for the Tamil people.
SALLY SARA: The Sri Lankan Government is promising its next term in office will deliver peace and prosperity to the country, which is still emerging from decades of civil war.
This is Sally Sara in Colombo for Saturday AM
But the Sri Lankan Government has applauded the announcement and says Tamils have no need to leave their homeland.
Our South Asia correspondent Sally Sara reports from Colombo.
SALLY SARA: In the back streets of Colombo, a young Tamil man is still dreaming of life in Australia. Arockiam Anthony Lawrence has already tried and failed once to reach Australian shores.
He was picked up by the Sri Lankan Navy after the people smuggling boat he was on ran out of food and water. He's now on bail, accused of having links to the Tamil Tigers.
He says discrimination against Tamils is still going on in Sri Lanka and he believes it will continue.
Human Rights Lawyer Lakshan Dias says the Australian Government is jumping too soon if it believes the human rights situation has improved dramatically in Sri Lanka.
LAKSHAN DIAS: The situation is still not clear for anybody to return, especially from the minority communities. Things are happening in this country. Things are not very favourable for returnees.
So it's a very bad decision if the Australian Government decided to send them back. The human rights community in Sri Lanka believe that the Sri Lankan human rights conditions are not improved.
SALLY SARA: Mr Dias says if the Australian Government wants to reduce the number of asylum seekers it should be concentrating its efforts on trying to improve democracy and governance in Sri Lanka.
LAKSHAN DIAS: If the people have more access to an independent safety net, independent protection system, people will not go to Australia. People will stay here.
So that's the role of the Australian government; a government which believes in rule of law; a government which believes in democracy; which believes in governance.
SALLY SARA: Less than a year after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, tensions between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority are yet to completely evaporate.
Thirty-one-year-old Saman knows what it is like to be caught between the two. He is Sinhalese, but was accused of being a Tamil Tiger sympathizer.
He applied for asylum after reaching Christmas Island in April last year, but his application was rejected and he was sent back to Sri Lanka.
SAMAN (Translated): Yes, I am under threat. Since I arrived in the country I complain to the authorities - several organisations - regarding my security, and still people are searching me to kill me. So I am under threats.
SALLY SARA: But the Sri Lankan Government says old divisions have healed. Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan was a senior commander with the Tamil Tigers. He's now Sri Lanka's Minister for National Integration and Reconciliation.
VINAYAGAMOORTHY MURALITHARAN: I can tell one thing; our country is perfectly safe for the people now. In the future we can develop our country very well; we can use the job opportunities, we can create the jobs for the Tamil people.
SALLY SARA: The Sri Lankan Government is promising its next term in office will deliver peace and prosperity to the country, which is still emerging from decades of civil war.
This is Sally Sara in Colombo for Saturday AM
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