Fifteen Sri Lankan Tamils who had reached Bangkok in the hope of seeking refuge in the West have decided to return to Sri Lanka following the return of peace to the country. Some of them have already left for Colombo.
These are among the latest batch of Sri Lankan Tamils to return home after serving jail terms for violating Thai immigration laws or having been caught with forged or doctored travel documents and visas.
All of them had arrived in Bangkok directly or by transiting neighbouring countries. Some of them had genuine Sri Lankan passports and were hoping to collect new travel documents or get false visas of Western countries stamped on their passports.
Others had come to Bangkok on genuine passports and visas and had been in contact with 'agents' who had promised to send them on to the West with new travel papers.
Several of them had been duped by these 'agents' who either disappeared after collecting the fees or could not come up with the required documents as promised.
Many of the Sri Lankan Tamils had been apprehended by Immigration authorities at the Suvarnabhumi International airport in Bangkok or at border crossing points.
Others had been caught by the authorities for overstaying their visas.
Some of them had been working illegally while awaiting the false travel documents for their intended onward journey.
Over the last couple of weeks they were released from jail after serving usually one year of a two year sentence and had expressed their desire to go back home abandoning their earlier intentions of seeking asylum. |
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