Smugglers prey on SL refugees in India
Hundreds of Sri Lankan refugees in India are risking their lives
every year to make dangerous sea voyages to third countries like
Australia after being preyed on by people smugglers.
Aid groups and the police have launched campaigns warning refugees of
the perils of making such trips following a recent rise in reports of
smugglers trying to entice people to migrate illegally. Most refugees
settled in the southern state of Tamil Nadu where they live in camps.
Aid workers say agents working for organized smuggling rackets are
taking advantage of the refugees’ vulnerability.
“They tell them that life is rosy in countries like Canada and
Australia and that they will get good jobs with lucrative incomes,”
Refugees Rehabilitation Organization Director S C Chandrahasan said.
“People then obviously get the wrong impression and don’t realize the
hardships that they will have to undergo to get to those countries and
get lured by the promise of a better life.”
Aid groups say they are particularly worried that many are putting
their lives at risk to reach their dream destination - packed onto
crowded ramshackle fishing boats for weeks in turbulent seas.
Sri Lankan officials in India say over the years thousands of
refugees have tried to seek asylum in Australia and Canada.
“Some are sent back, some are languishing in detention centres and
some who fit the asylum criteria have been granted permission to stay,”
said Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi Minister Counsellor
Sugeeswara Senadhira.
“The human smuggling racket is a very big problem as it is highly
organized and involves people all over the world from India, Sri Lanka,
Thailand and Indonesia among other places. But we are working with other
countries to crackdown on this.”
Reports are becoming increasingly common of illegal migrants dying at
sea after their boats capsize.
Last month, 30 people died when a crowded refugee boat crashed into
rocks on Australia’s Christmas island. Most of the refugees were from
Iraq.
According to aid groups, there are around 73,000 refugees living in
115 camps across Tamil Nadu.
The Indian authorities have been providing them with shelter, food,
health and education services as well as financial allowances.
Over the years, children have been born in camps, refugees have
married one another and many have gained educational and vocational
skills in India.
Officials say while many have assimilated in India or are interested
in returning to Sri Lanka now that the war is over, there are still many
who believe their future lies in wealthier nations.
“There have been a lot of reports of agents hanging around the camps
and approaching refugees saying that if they pay a hefty amount of
money, they will prepare fake documents and passports and arrange their
transportation,” said a police official in Chennai, capital of Tamil
Nadu.
He said refugees pay up to 30,000 rupees ($ 660) to the human
smugglers - a large amount for a refugee who does not have an income.
Social activists and officials say life is not easy for those who
make it to another country.
Authorities in places like Australia and Canada, where there is a
high migrant population, are under increasing political pressure to
tighten immigration policies.
Last year, the Australian government’s decision to suspend asylum
claims from Sri Lankans and Afghans was branded “inhumane” by aid
workers who said it was a political decision ahead of elections.
In Canada, lobby groups are urging authorities to overhaul the
immigration and refugee system, saying the influx of people threatens to
overwhelm social services and drive up employment.
- Reuters
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