LTTE not among boat people - Australia

Australian Home Affairs Minister Brendan O’Connor has rejected claims that some Sri Lankan boat people detained on Christmas Island are former Tigers who could pose a security risk.

Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Australia, Senaka Walgampaya, has spoken of his suspicions that former Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are among recent illegal boat arrivals.

It has been claimed that some of the recent arrivals raised suspicions because they had injuries consistent with having been involved in conflict, including shrapnel wounds.

“I have in fact informed (the Department of Immigration and Citizenship) also that there is a really strong possibility that the (LTTE) combatants, the LTTE cadre, will try to infiltrate, will try to come to Australia,” Walgampaya told The Australian newspaper.

However, O’Connor says checks of illegal arrivals during the past 12 months had uncovered no people considered to be security risks.

“There are no adverse security findings that have been made in relation to the irregular maritime arrivals that have arrived since September last year”, O’Connor told Fairfax Radio Network yesterday.

He said there was a comprehensive security and identity checking process in place and no person would be provided with a visa if there was a question mark about security issues.

“We have a very rigorous assessment (process).

“Once a boat is intercepted and taken to Christmas Island there are health checks, there are identity checks and there are also security checks.

“And they are rigorous because we want to ensure that we do everything we possibly can to maintain the integrity of our borders and the integrity of our immigration system”. Brisbane Times