Aussie officials warn Sri Lankans
Wednesday, 11th June 2014
By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan
Human smugglers, if convicted, can be jailed for 20 years in Australia, the team from the Australian Government’s Operation Sovereign Borders (OSB) – a tough military-led border security unit – who were in Sri Lanka said yesterday (10). They warned Sri Lankans not to ‘throw money into water’ by risking their lives on the high seas in illegal boat trips to Australia.
OSB Director of Media Operations, Matthew Wardell, said most Sri Lankan illegal aliens entering Australia via sea journeys say they have no jobs or a proper life in Sri Lanka.
Australian High Commissioner, Robyn Mudie, said Australia was assisting Sri Lanka with AUS$ 40 million for capacity building infrastructure development as well as education as a means of combating illegal boat migrants.
She said they have constant discussions with Sri Lanka in the hope of combating people leaving Sri Lankan shores for Australia via boat. She also said, “So far six human smugglers have been arrested by Sri Lankan officials and Australia is working closely with the Attorney General’s Department and the Justice Ministry to see that they are prosecuted.”
One-hundred-and-twenty Magistrates, High Court Judges and prosecutors were trained recently on how to deal with such legal issues.
An MoU concerning legal cooperation between the two countries against illegal migrants was signed in 2009.
Twelve months before the OSB operation began, that is 18 September 2013, there were 1,291 Sri Lankan returnees from Australia. However, from day one of the OSB operation till 27 May 2014, there have been only 172 returnees, claimed Wardell.
Australian Minister Counsellor (Immigration) and Regional Director South Asia, Jose Alvarez, said Sri Lanka is the best example Australia uses to elaborate how effectively they combat boat people entering Australia. He added that Sri Lanka initially did not have the technical ability to combat this but later on managed the process successfully.
He said that one of the best ways to combat boat people is to return them immediately to Sri Lanka. “This was effective because they knew their journey was not worth returning in two days.”
When asked how long the boat people continue to remain on their boats once they reach Australian shores, he said that the boat is towed to Christmas Island or they are shifted to another boat and taken there, for processing. Only genuine cases are sent to Papua New Guinea or Nauru as refugees. He said no one will ever enter Australia if they come on boats.
There is a total of 541 Sri Lankans in Australian detention community centres according to officials.
Australia has about 27,000 people who have illegally arrived on boats in detention centres at present.
