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Govt. dismisses UN refugee agency’s concerns over repatriation of Pakistanis
View(s):Remarks made by the United Nations refugee agency that it is “deeply concerned” about the deportation of Pakistanis have received a sharp rebuke from the External Affairs Ministry (EAM) which said Government responsibility “on its international obligations are nuanced and balanced in the context of domestic compulsions.”
Earlier yesterday, the Geneva-based UN High Commission for Refugees said, “Sri Lanka has confirmed that 18 asylum seekers of Pakistani origin, who were registered with the UNHCR, were deported in the last two days.” It said there were reports 10 more could follow soon.
The UNHCR said the deportation went against the principle of no forced return, or non-refoulement, enshrined in international customary law. This principle is binding on all States, and precludes them from sending asylum seekers and refugees to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened. Returning an individual to a country where he or she would face risk of torture is also prohibited under the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
The EAM in a statement “in response to inquiries on asylum seekers” said: “A State cannot be expected to carry a burden of this nature for an indefinite period of time. Therefore, these asylum seekers are being encouraged to return, in the vital security interests of Sri Lanka and the region.
“Sri Lanka’s territory has been used by those seeking asylum for over a decade. However, the asylum seeker/refugee population in Sri Lanka witnessed a dramatic 700 per cent increase during the period 2013-14 and, as at 30 June 2014, there are 1,562 asylum seekers and 308 refugees. Investigations reveal that the sudden increase in the number of asylum seekers in Sri Lanka was a result of people falling victim to commercially driven human trafficking networks which abuse the liberal visa policy in place in the country, exacerbated by a sharp increase in the numbers resettled in third countries in 2012. Regrettably, the resettlement slowed down considerably in 2013/14. It is therefore questionable whether they have a legitimate claim to seek asylum.”
The influx of asylum seekers and their tendency not to have an established place of residence have resulted in serious law and order, security, as well as health related issues for the authorities.
In April this year, 10 cases of malaria were detected among these asylum seekers. This detection was made at a time when Sri Lanka, having achieved zero indigenous cases of malaria for the past several years, was under consideration for obtaining WHO certification.