MORE INHUMAN TREATMENT OF TAMILS BY SINHALA TROOPS...!!! MORE REFUGEES TO OTHER COUNTRIES...!!!

Asylum crisis: Australian Minister coming here

By Dianne Silva

Australia’s Immigration and Citizenship Minister Chris Evans is to visit Sri Lanka this month in an effort to curb large numbers of asylum seekers attempting to enter Australia, Government sources told Daily Mirror yesterday.

Meanwhile Sri Lanka’s high Commissioner in Australia Seneka Wellagampaya when contacted said that Australian Immigration and Citizenship officials were already in Sri Lanka.

“DIAC or the Department of Immigration and Citizenship have sent six officers to Sri Lanka six months ago and were monitoring the situation to prevent more Sri Lankans seeking asylum in Australia” Mr. Wellagampaya said.

He said due to Australian privacy laws the High Commission was unable to confirm the nationality of the latest batch of 70 asylum seekers held on Christmas Island.

“Newspapers have reported that they are Sri Lankans but we are unable to make any official comment because we have not been given any details by the Australian Immigration Department,” Mr. Wellagampaya said. “We will be told only if the illegal immigrants ask to speak to us and request for any assistance in any consular matters or if they need us to provide them travel documents.”

A fishing boat said to be carrying a group of 70 suspected Sri Lankan’s was spotted by the Customs and Border Protection unit drifting in the high seas some 80 nautical miles off Christmas Island and they were picked up by an Australian Navy Patrol boat on Saturday.

In June the Australian Foreign Minister revealed that a full-time ambassador was appointed to monitor people smuggling issues.

"This was done in recognition of the significant challenges that Australia faces in locating people smuggling sources such as Afghanistan, the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area and Sri Lanka." Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said at the time.
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