Deportation only antidote to human smuggling – SLN Chief tells Aussie HC-GoSL-Australia on collision course over refugee boats
Posted on July 21st, 2012
by Shamindra Ferdinando Courtesy The Island
Sri Lanka and Australia are on a collision course over what the Australian High Commissioner in Colombo Ms Robyn Mudie asserts is the failure on the part of the Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) to put an end to human smuggling.
Australian HC Mudie urged Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake to step up SLN action, at a hurriedly arranged meeting at SLN headquarters to discuss the issue last Wednesday (18).
Asked whether Australian action had been prompted by his failure to take tangible measures, Vice Admiral Dissanayake told The Island that trawlers carrying hundreds of men, women and children had been detained since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009. Those who found fault with the SLN for the crisis had conveniently forgotten that about 400 men, women and children had been taken into custody over the past two weeks alone.
He said: “The SLN intelligence as well as other sister services and police are working overtime to thwart smugglersƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ plans. But unfortunately, Australia is not supporting our efforts, though pressure is being brought on us to apprehend those spearheading human smuggling operations.”
Vice Admiral Dissanayake said that the Australian HC had been fully briefed on the situation and AustraliaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s failure to back the SLN.
Australia would remain the prime attraction for economic refugees as long as it allowed them to exploit their laws, the Vice Admiral said.
Referring to his predecessor, Vice Admiral Thisara SamarasingheƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s call for tightening of Australian laws, Dissanayake said that the situation would change overnight if Australia deported at least a single boatload of bogus refugees. He said, “I brought to HC MudieƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s notice the need to address contentious issues. Those bent on making money will do anything to lure people into leaving for countries like Australia.”
The Vice Admiral alleged that AustraliaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s refusal to give SLN access to information pertaining to refugees of Sri Lankan origin was a serious impediment to ongoing investigations. I
Australia had refused to reveal details of Sri Lankan trawlers in their custody, he said, alleging that among those detained in Australia were trawler crews. Asked whether he was at least aware of the number of Sri Lankans held in detention in Australia, the Vice Admiral said that except the number of those arrested by the SLN and other State agencies and those deported by Australia, Sri Lanka wasnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t privy to details.
The Australian HC had alerted him recently to the presence of a trawler drifting about 200 nautical miles off Sri Lanka, the Navy Chief said. Although the Australian HC requested prompt action to track down the vessel, she had not revealed its exact location, he said.
The SLN Chief said that tough action taken by the UK had obviously discouraged those seeking to enter that country illegally. He pointed out that almost 1,000 Sri Lankans had been deported from the UK since the conclusion of the conflict.
July 21st, 2012 at 5:17 pm
Why are we taking this sort of shit from the racist Australians? As we all know, it is the incompetent Australian government border protection policies and it’s support to these LTTE terrorist that is encouraging those economic refugees to come to Australia.If the Australian government does not proscribe the LTTE, the Sri Lankan government must tell them it will not stop any boats leaving for Australia. The fact is the labour government in Australia has become a pawn of the Greens and will be kicked out of government soon. So the Sri Lankans should tell them to ” go and fly a kite” and will deal with the next Australian government if they widraw it’s support to the LTTE scum.
July 21st, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Actually GoSl must legalise these boats and send more and more boats there. Navy should provide protection and technology to allow the operators and collect taxes to provide protection. It is a good idea to allow a white christian organisation, such as worl vision, red cross, vicent de paul, salvation army to run this.
Poor tamils, christians of SriLanka are being discriminated. God is crying for them. Only hope is Austrlia who treat all human races equally ( aboriginis wer considered as fauna until very recently). So let them go ! make sure health and safety of them within Sri lankan waters and beyond the either Hindu, Christian and Australian Gods will look after them.
How can this female dog bark at our Navy commander like this ? How humane is for the Navy to arrest these poor humans and put in jail ? No. Australians are generous, kind people ( again let us not mention fauna in Australia. Wild pigs are killed very humanely by good Aussie sportsman. Rabbit is a National Enemy. India Myna is a national enemy) who treats minorities extremely well. They even go to extent to smuggle poor kids for Afgan foot ball team to their house and look after them like pets. When it comes to compassion there is no law necessary in Australia ! Why not Sir Lanka send more and more ?
July 22nd, 2012 at 5:13 am
It is obvious Australia is not acting responsibly and in fact guilty of creating an environment that entice economoc migrants, in addition to those wanting to escape prosection (not persecution), to enter Australia as “refugees”, by fabricating stories against SriLanka.
Some of the the pull factors to enter Australia are:
(a) Some Australian politicians, especially the Greens Party and also some NGOs, demanding these illegal immigrants who claim to be “refugees”, be processed in Australia and thereby jump the queue of genuine refugees already processed and languishing for years in the camps of neigbouring countries;
(b) Australia providing a network of interpreters, lawyers & community workers to appear free for these illegal migrants to claim refugee status;
(c) Australia’s refusal to ban the LTTE and providing a safe haven for them;
(d) Australia’s refusal to share with SriLanka, details of these illegal arrivals, thereby giving undue protection to all and sundry from being investigated by SriLankan authorities:
(e) Successful refugees receiving free and very generous perks such as accommodation, medical treatment, shooling, family allowances etc which legally arriving immigrants are not entitled to.
Under these circumstances, which promotes more and more people to leave the source nations and arrive illegally in Australia, why should the Sri Lankan navy bother at all to waste its resources to prevent anyone leaving to Australia illegally?
July 22nd, 2012 at 5:39 am
Why stop these boats?
Let them go. The more they leave, the better. If Australia has a problem, let the boats go but don’t let them go to Australia. Some of these boats “may” have explosives in them. What if they explode? No one will know and no problem to anyone. THINK! Everyone happy.
Tell Australia to ban the LTTE or more boats will come full of LTTE terrorists.
July 22nd, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Here is what the refugees or asylum seekers are paid, IMMEDIATELY on arrival here:
BENEFIT AUSTRALIAN AGED PENSIONER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES LIVING IN AUSTRALIA
Weekly allowance $253.00 $472.50
Weekly Spouse allowance $56.00 $472.50
Additional weekly hardship allowance $0.00 $145.00
TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT $16,068.00 $56,680.00
Is it any wonder that more and more are arriving daily?
And these people are paid this without working at all, and not even being asked to work!
July 22nd, 2012 at 3:08 pm
I fully agree with Vice Admiral Dissanayake. Australia is trying to deal with economic refugees after encouraging them in every possible way to come to Australia, such as providing free legal representation, and even before any inquiries, providing them with housing, a very hefty dole (about thrice the amount an Australian pensioner gets), medical facilities, etc. And in the end, about 99% do receive resident visas. This makes an absolute joke of those who try to migrate to Australia legitimately, by applying to the HC in CBO.
The media gets hold of pictures of crying children and women (good-looking ones at that), and puts out a sob story such as harassment in their own countries (Sri Lanka, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc) and converts half the public into refugee-huggers. The other half wants them sent back.The bloody government, both the opposition and the party in power, are falling over themselves trying to accommodate both sides.
Let the bloody Aussies sort themselves out.
July 22nd, 2012 at 3:09 pm
Absolute bloody cheek! The RAN should patrol their territorial waters and turn back any boats carrying immigrants. Instead, they confine them to Christmas Islands and provide the immigrants with succour. They don’t deport them! The SLN is responsible for what takes place in OUR territorial waters. Prevention of departure of immigrants does not come within the purview of the GOSL. We should tell the Aussie Govt to go to hell and do the job themselves! If the Aussies deport the immigrants, it is unlikely that this practice will continue.
July 22nd, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Australia wants to put the blame on SL.
SL gains nothing by stopping the boats. It is Australia’s problem. We should not care.
Ban the LTTE to stop them going to Australia.
July 26th, 2012 at 9:59 am
Here’s what these “refugees” are after: Aussie $$$$:
Asylum seekers are paid, IMMEDIATELY on arrival in Australia:
BENEFITS
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS/REFUGEES LIVING IN AUSTRALIA
Weekly allowance
$472.50
Weekly Spouse allowance
$472.50
Additional weekly hardship allowance
$145.00
TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT
$56,680.00
AUSTRALIAN AGED PENSIONER
Weekly allowance
$253.00
Weekly Spouse allowance
$56.00
Additional weekly hardship allowance
$0.00
TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT
$16,068.00
Is it any wonder that more and more are arriving daily?
And these people are paid this without working at all, and not even being asked to work!