Sri Lanka: The art of mishandling policy; From Aluthgama, to asylum seekers, NGOs, the Govt. wallows in (negative) publicity

President in trouble ( AFP)

Ranga Jayasuriya
There is something strange in this government. It is wallowing in negative publicity. The sequence of events during the last couple of weeks has given it a steady supply of negative publicity which would prop up its already grim reputation. First, it lets loose a motley group of Sinhala Buddhist ultra nationalist groups such as Bodu Bala Sena, Sinhala Ravaya, Ravana Balaya and so on. Then, the marauding mobs and youth instigated by hate filled sermons, went on rampage in Aluthgama, triggering a sectarian confrontation – the first major clash between the Sinhalese and Muslims since 1915.

Australian Minister under fire for not meeting Tamil groups on Sri Lanka trip

Morrison with Rajapaksa (SMH)

REUTERS: An Australian Minister came under fire on Thursday for not meeting Tamil leaders on a visit to northern Sri Lanka, only days after Australia returned a boat of asylum seekers, including Tamils, under its hardline border security policy.  Some of the 41 Sri Lankans intercepted and sent home by Australia said on Tuesday they had been mistreated by Australian Customs, accusations Immigration Minister Scott Morrison denied.

Asylum-seekers in Sri Lanka: Paradise lost

The Economist

DOZENS of Pakistani asylum-seekers have been locked up in a detention camp in southern Sri Lanka following mass arrests that the UN’s refugee agency, UNHCR, says it never saw coming. The sweep started on June 9th in Negombo, a breezy seaside resort famous for its churches and beaches,on Sri Lanka’s west coast. Police went door-to-door with immigration officials and rounded up 142 men in seven days. Families wailed as the men were whisked away, without explanation, to a notorious prison known for housing terrorist suspects.

UN deplores return of asylum-seekers to SL by Australia .

SL boat people ( SMH)

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has expressed concern over the deportation of 41 Sri Lankan asylum seekers from Australia. A further 153 asylum seekers also from Sri Lanka have had their deportation blocked by the Australian High Court. UNHCR says it had been informed by authorities in Australia that enhanced screening procedures had been applied to determine whether those deported raised claims for protection which required further consideration.

UNHCR concerned over Sri Lankan boat people

The United Nations (UN) refugee agency today raised concerns over reports that a group of Sri Lankan asylum seekers heading to Australia were detained at sea and were most likely to have been sent back to Sri Lanka.

Julie Bishop denies going soft on Sri Lanka's human rights record

The Australian
JULIE Bishop has denied the Australian government was going soft on alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka in return for Colombo's cooperation on asylum-seekers, saying her attendance at the Commonwealth summit was "not a PR exercise".

Sri Lankan navy officer accused of being key player in people-smuggling racket

The alleged linchpin of Sri Lanka's biggest people-smuggling racket is a decorated naval officer who briefed Australia's border protection chief and its high commissioner to Sri Lanka on how to stop human trafficking. But the Australian government has refused to comment on what information it might have shared with the accused officer, Lieutenant-Commander Sanjeewa Annatugoda.

Sri Lankan refugees at risk under return policy: Australian HRC

Asylum seekers from Sri Lanka risk being returned to potentially harmful situations under the government's enhanced screening process, the Australian Human Rights Commission says.
It's also warning that proposed changes to the refugee determination process to reduce avenues for appeal could see refugees return to danger.

UK parliament report slams Lanka, says HR situation hasn't improved

The British House of Commons

The British House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, has in a very critical report, noted that there is scant evidence of progress in political and human rights in Sri Lanka.
Made up of House of Commons legislators, the report notes that as Prime Minister David Cameron remains committed to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka, he should obtain assurances from the Sri Lankan Government that people who approach him to talk about human rights while he is in Sri Lanka to attend the summit do not face reprisals or harassment by security forces.

Switzerland defends deportation of Sri Lankans

AFP/Geneva — Switzerland on Thursday defended the deportation of two asylum seekers who were arrested upon returning to Sri Lanka, saying they were accused of backing Tamil rebels.

The deportations happened shortly before Switzerland's August 26 decision to halt the forced returns of rejected Sri Lankan asylum seekers, amid growing human rights concerns since the separatists' defeat in 2009.

Swiss stop deportation of Tamils

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September 3, 2013
The Swiss authorities have suspended deporting Tamils back to Sri Lanka after two people who were deported were arrested, the Swiss media reported.
The Federal Office for Migration (FOM), has said that the deportation was suspended to ensure the safety of the Tamils deported to Sri Lanka.

Australia’s detention of 46 refugees ‘cruel and degrading,’ UN rights experts find

GENEVA (22 AUGUST 2013) Australia’s indefinite detention of 46 recognized refugees on security grounds amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, inflicting serious psychological harm on them, a UN Committee has found after examining their cases.

UN classifies Lankans - Journalists, gays, lesbians, suspected LTTE supporters - for refugee status

Journalists, gays, lesbians, suspected LTTE supporters favoured; but warns of armed forces personnel

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) has listed persons suspected of LTTE links, journalists, opposition politicians, political activists, and gays and lesbians, as being among the categories of Sri Lankans “likely to be in need of international refugee protection.”

On the other hand, UNHCR also advises that applications by persons such as members of the armed forces be carefully considered.