Media Release
Rudd’s new Sri Lankan ‘solution’ is no solution for Tamil asylum seekers

Peter Farago, of the Refugee Action Collective, said “ Australia never negotiated with Saddam Hussein to stop asylum seekers from leaving Iraq, so why is it negotiating with the Sri Lankan government. It would have been unthinkable to negotiate with Stalin to stop refugees leaving the Soviet Union so why negotiate with the Sri Lankan government that is carrying out the abuses.”

The Sri Lankan government is responsible for the slaughter of 100,000 Tamils in the Tamil areas of north and east Sri Lanka. At the end of the war, 300,000 Tamils were rounded up and put in prison camps. Many young men have been taken from these camps by the government authorities and never seen since by their families. Extrajudicial killings are still taking place. Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous countries to be a journalist, with many journalists killed for criticising the government

Peter Farago said “the Australian government deal with the Sri Lankan government for legal immigration treats Tamil asylum seekers as economic migrants rather than what they are – asylum seekers.”

“Even if there is a program for taking some Tamils as migrants to Australia from the detention camps, the Tamils who are facing the most extreme persecution won’t be able to come forward and use such a program given the number of disappearances from the camps. They are political refugees from a country that discriminates against Tamils.”

“Tamil men from the north and the east of the country can rarely get through the military checkpoints to get to Colombo where the Australian embassy is located.”

“Why is the Australian government dealing with a country that is guilty of war crimes against the Tamil people and is still carrying out acts of violence against Tamils?”

“The Australian government should welcome asylum seekers with open arms. The Sri Lankan government should be internationally isolated for its human rights abuses towards Tamils."

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Sylvie Leber: 0409 190 738
Karen Jones: 0431 777 846