Sri Lanka: Returned asylum seekers released

BBC Sinhala
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Fifty deportees flown back to Sri Lanka from Britain on Thursday were released after questioning, authorities say.

They were initially detained by the police at Colombo international airport.

United Kingdom Border Agency chartered a flight to repatriate eight women and forty two men to Sri Lanka.

Most of them are ethnic Tamil asylum seekers.

Fear of detention

Colombo airport officials say the returnees were held by police for questioning.

In June, a group of twenty Sri Lankans were sent back from Britain in an earlier chartered flight.

Human rights group Amnesty International said at least one of the failed asylum seekers had attempted to commit suicide at an airport detention facility in June following death threats he reportedly received.

Amnesty International say that the end of the conflict two years ago had not diminished the risks faced by failed Sri Lankan asylum seekers.

fear of arrest and detention

Amnesty maintains that deportees face arrest and detention upon their return.

However the orgnisation was not able to monitor the fate of earlier returnees.

"We were unable to monitor what happened to them, as we have no access to Sri lanka," Head of Asia of Amnesty International Sam Zarifi told the BBC Sinhala Service.

"Repatriation should be done only after investigating case by case of each individual. This is not the way to send people back," he said.

© BBC Sinhala

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Canada lashes Sri Lanka, summit showdown looms

By David Ljunggren | Reuters
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Canada publicly criticized Sri Lanka over its human rights record for the first time on Thursday, setting the scene for a confrontation at a major international summit next month.

Sri Lanka is under increasing Western pressure to probe allegations of war crimes and humanitarian law violations at the end of its war with Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009.

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird said he had told his Sri Lankan counterpart of Ottawa's "concerns on the lack of accountability for the serious allegations of war crimes, the lack of reconciliation with the Tamil community and with events that have taken place since the end of the civil war".

A diplomatic clash looks likely when Canada and Sri Lanka come face to face in late October at a summit of the 54-member Commonwealth of former British colonies in the Australian city of Perth. Sri Lanka is due to host the summit in 2013.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, speaking to ethnic media earlier this month, said he would boycott the 2013 event unless Sri Lanka improved its human rights record and would encourage other Commonwealth leaders to do the same.

"Canada will continue to speak loudly and clearly on behalf of human rights around the world, especially in Sri Lanka," Baird told the House of Commons.

Opposition legislator Jim Karygiannis went even further, asking Harper "to urge the Commonwealth to revoke Sri Lanka's membership until it holds the perpetrators to account and they are judged in international courts".

Sri Lanka's government says it is working hard on reconciliation and is waiting for a report by a national commission of inquiry on the war, due on November 15.

Amnesty International, which dismisses the commission as "fatally flawed", says between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians died in the final months of the 25-year civil war.

Sri Lanka says its troops used only necessary and lawful force and complains that the allegations of war crimes are biased and exaggerated.

© Reuters

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Rapes on the rise, Jaffna DS says again

Sri Lanka Mirror
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The incidence of rapes is on the rise in Jaffna, district secretary Imelda Sukumar has said once again, with the latest incident reportedly taking place in the office of the city’s mayor recently.

Mrs. Sukumar has said that 126 rapes had taken place in the past eight months.

In the latest incident alleged, an EPDP member had victimized a female employee of the Jaffna municipal council.

A politician had assaulted a relative of the woman, who had tried to complain to police regarding the incident.

© Sri Lanka Mirror

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Indian Navy and Sri Lankan Navy conclude exercise

Indian Defence
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The Indian Navy benefitted from the Sri Lankan relationship with a minor intensity crisis whereas the Sri Lankan Navy understood how to operate efficiently in a multi force combatant with the merger of the two countries Navies.

These developments comprised of six Indian states of art vessels of the Eastern command and more than 1200 Indian naval personnel, and 11 Sri Lankan vessels and the same number of personnel was deeply observed by the international community and the diplomatic corps established in Colombo.

These exercises, “SLINEX 11” started on the 19th -24th of September which had the objective of improving interoperability of the two navies. The Sri Lankan Navy declared that the exercise is designed to avail opportunity for the neighboring navies to understudy the basis of joint naval operations and ensure experiences so as to derive from each other.

The decision to enhance mutual defense cooperation and to rely on combine naval exercise was arrived at during the visit of the Defense secretary Pradeep Kumar to Sri Lanka in December 2010.

The first Indo naval exercise took place five years ago. The Eelam War IV which assumed a high dimension since 2006, the exercises which were to be observed yearly had to be abandoned.

The vessel which created a lot of commitments was indigenous multi role frigate with formidable fittings, INS Shivalik. The vessel first launched in April 2010 is an output of indigenous make, US engines and a combination of Russian and Indian armory. The frigate is a component of the Eastern fleet.

The Indian Naval ships launched are INS Ranvijay, INS Shivalik, INS Gharial, INS Khanjar, INS Cheryam and INS Coradiv, along with intergral helicopters and a Dornier Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Rear Admiral HCS Bisht, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, Indian Navy, is giving orders to the Indian ships taking part in the exercise.

Despite Operational interactions, sport fixtures, presentations of topics of mutual interest and demonstration by the Sri Lanka Navy had to be framed. On visitations overseas, the Indian naval ships often do community service. In tune with this method, colleagues from other ships went to the ‘Anbu Illam’ and ‘Sivananda Thapobanam’ Orphanages in Trincomalee and executed community service, including painting of dormitories and beds, renewal of electrical wiring, plumbing work and other repair works. The Indian Navy gave out two months supply of provisions, medicines, fans, bulbs, paint and other necessary items. They went ahead creating a room for effective communication with the kids at these orphanages.

The Vietnamese Ambassador to Sri Lanka moved from Colombo to Trincomalee to deliver his wishes to the Indian and Sri Lankan Navy personnel, onboard the INS Shivalik on Thursday.

© Indian Defence

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