EVEN LTTE IS COMPLETELY WIPED OUT, INHUMAN SINHALA REGIME WANT WITCH-HUNT UNTIL DESTROY ALL TAMILS IN CONCENTRATION CAMPS...!!!

Aussies in for long haul as Sri Lanka stands firm

THREE Australian nationals caught in Sri Lanka's overcrowded refugee camps could face more than a year in detention after the Government in Colombo yesterday ruled out any special treatment or early release.

The Australian high commission in Sri Lanka said yesterday it was trying to gain consular access to the three people, who are believed to be dual Sri Lankan/Australian nationals.

It refused to reveal further details of the detainees, whose plight emerged after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers last month unleashed a flood of refugees.

The Weekend Australian understands Australian authorities were alerted to the trio's predicament after one got hold of a mobile phone - which are banned inside refugee camps - and contacted a family member in Australia.

Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary and former diplomat to Australia, Palitha Kohona, said the three would undergo screening, along with an estimated 280,000 Tamils forcibly interned in government camps.

"We can't start a two-track process that gives preference to foreign nationals," Dr Kohona said. "We will have to interview these people, cross-check their status, check with the local police stations. The question arises as to why these people waited until the last minute to come out of the LTTE-controlled (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) areas.

"Were they being held back by force or were they staying voluntarily because they had their own sympathies? Why would they be going into a place like that unless they had compelling reason."

The Sri Lankan Government says it will try to complete registration and security screening of refugees within 180 days so detainees can return to their communities. But it admits the task of weeding out former Tamil Tiger soldiers and sympathisers from civilians could take far longer.

International aid agencies have expressed concern about the conditions in refugee camps, citing chronic overcrowding, a lack of food and water, and unsanitary conditions. Access to the government-run camps remains severely restricted. (The Australian)