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Sri Lanka Is Still Dangerous For Tamils; Do Not Repatriate Refugees!

March 26, 2010

I am writing to urge you not to change your international protection guidelines for repatriating refugees, in particular, with regards to Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka. The current conditions in Sri Lanka are not and will not be conducive to resettling Tamils until accountability and justice are achieved. Although the civil war has ended, ethnic-based discrimination and violence still dominates Sri Lanka's policies. Sri Lanka still has not established a political solution or reconciliation process between the different ethnicities. For Sri Lankan Tamils, this means continuous suffering under systematic state-sponsored attacks on account of their ethnicity.

Despite promises of release, over 100,000 Tamils remain detained in military-run IDP camps, denied their basic freedoms and rights. Outside these camps, there are another ten thousand Tamils in undisclosed locations experiencing torture, rape, and other forms of violence. Tamils who have been “released” are unable to return to their homes in the North because of military occupation. Meanwhile, there is evidence of government-facilitated Sinhalese colonization of these areas. If Tamils are repatriated to Sri Lanka, their lives will be characterized by perpetual relocation and displacement.

The Government of Sri Lanka is highly oppressive and it is nearly impossible to receive independent unbiased news about the situation in the North. Army checkpoints cover the countryside and the military's presence is growing in the North. The government’s blatant disregard of international calls for war crimes investigations illustrates its desire to cover up injustice, which is clearly indicative of a hostile country.

Many countries, such as Australia, rely heavily on the UN's refugee guidelines when issuing or rejecting refugee and asylum claims. As such, if these guidelines change, some countries will take advantage of the situation to immediately ship Tamils back to Sri Lanka, which is tantamount to a death sentence for Tamils. Refugee lawyers urge the UN to maintain its current international protection standards and caution against premature guideline changes.

For the sake of these innocent Tamils and other refugees, do not change your international protection guidelines. Do not make it easier for countries like Australia to expel hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers. Instead, give these Tamil civilians the safety they deserve but cannot attain living in their native country by protecting them as refugees elsewhere.