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Deportation: 29 Lankan Tamils on hunger strike in London
Monday, 23 July 2007 - 9:45 AM SL Time
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Twenty nine Sri Lankan Tamil nationals are on hunger strike at a controversial detention centre in London opposing moves by the British authorities to deport them back to Sri Lanka tomorrow, sources from London told the Daily Mirror.
Earlier on July 9, two Tamil Jaffna residents, Subramaniam Aloysias Jude Christy and Kobalasamy Illayarajah who had sought refugee status in Britain after fleeing the conflict in the North started a fast unto death as their applications had been turned down and they were subsequently placed at the Harmondsworth refugee detention centre in London. However by Saturday a further 27 Sri Lankan Tamils at the same detention centre joined in the strike further complicating the issue for the British authorities.
When The Daily Mirror contacted the Harmondsworth refugee detention centre yesterday afternoon to get further details on the strike we were redirected to the Britain home office which was closed yesterday being a Sunday. `The two Sri Lankans who started the hunger strike on July 9 have not had water or food and their health is deteriorating.
They are insisting they will not return to Sri Lanka because of the conflict and fear of maybe being arrested by Sri Lankan authorities once they return,` a civilian source in London told The Daily Mirror after speaking to Mr. Jude Christy via telephone.
Relatives and friends are permitted to speak to and even visit the detainees at the centre. The two Sri Lankan Tamils were earlier scheduled to be deported on June 24 but after stiff opposition from the two, the deportation was postponed for tomorrow, it is learnt.
The Daily Mirror also learns that another Tamil refugee who was deported from London last week was arrested in Sri Lanka and is being detained in Negombo. CID sources at the Katunayake international airport confirmed to the Daily Mirror that the immigrant was arrested on the 18th of this month and placed under detention in Negombo.
The Harmondsworth Detention Centre has been the sight of several protest campaigns against the detention process carried out by the British government. The London based rights group, `No Borders` in a statement following a protest late last year said the British immigration policies violated the basic principles of the Refugee Convention which Britain had signed.
`By ignoring the Convention, the Government refuses to protect people`s lives that are in danger, whether politically or economically. Migrants have been degraded and abused and are being treated as criminals, when their only `crime` is to come to the UK on their own terms. The UK government`s immigration policies favour locking up people without trial. Refugees are treated like `terrorists` and perceived as a threat to national security and are held in detention for many months,` it said.
Meanwhile the `Asian Tribune` reported that immigration authorities in Thailand continued to remain tight lipped about the plight of a group of Sri Lankans languishing at an immigration detention centre and in other prisons in Thailand.
According to informed sources the Thai Government had refused access to diplomats from asylum giving countries to meet the Sri Lankan detainees and interview them to assess whether they were eligible for resettlement in their countries under humanitarian laws, the website said., The Bangkok based UNHCR`s Public Relations and Information Officer for Asia, Kitty McKinsey told Asian Tribune, that they had no access to those Sri Lankans detained in the detention centres.
Those arrested are Tamils and are already registered with the UNHCR in Bangkok and their status has been approved as refugees under the Geneva Convention. Normally similar cases are referred to asylum giving countries for consideration for resettlement, the officer said.
He also noted that political decisions should not be taken out of jealousy or hatred.
`Every time the party faced betrayals, it survived and continued with more strength. We tried to work together with the UNP by signing an agreement. But since we cannot have faith on the UNP leadership we accepted those who came to us. It was done after seeking the party`s majority consent. We had to do it to ensure stability in Parliament,` the President said.
Referring to the past `betrayals` the SLFP had faced, President Rajapaksa said it was the same forces that have been reactivated at present to betray the party and that only the time had changed.
Newly appointed SLFP Treasurer Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, said no one would have a future in politics by breaking away from the party.
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Pera
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 23 Jul 2007 02:49:13 GMT Report for Abuse
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Amma no
Appa no
Appam kanna thuttu no
PERA
Edited By - Pera - 23 Jul 2007 02:50:16 GMT |
jacob101
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 23 Jul 2007 02:54:12 GMT Report for Abuse
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AI should get involved to stop deporting.
Edited By - jacob101 - 23 Jul 2007 06:43:40 GMT |
Dewey
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 23 Jul 2007 03:00:06 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Those tamil gangs in London should fight to keep these 29. Deportation is a crime against humanity and England should eb taken to the international court. England is discriminating against Sri Lankan tamils. |
jacob101
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Posts: 522
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23 Jul 2007 03:01:51 GMT Report for Abuse
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Tks Pera sir for teaching this at the right time
War as lead to sing this song to all the sri lankan.
Amma no
Papa no
Aapa kanda thutu no
Ratin thuna sali ko
Ingaa(begging) kanda venda ko
Edited By - jacob101 - 23 Jul 2007 03:02:59 GMT |
Rapaport
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 23 Jul 2007 03:03:53 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Deportation will cost LTTE a loss of approx 29000 to 290,000 sterlings pounds! |
jacob101
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Posts: 522
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23 Jul 2007 03:08:27 GMT Report for Abuse
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Pera sir
Kandai bon-dai
kaala thuwan-dai
etha-nama ren-dai
eekath kan-dai.
Got to go
Bye |
Saint
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 23 Jul 2007 03:08:40 GMT Report for Abuse
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If their intentions are frank then this is a tragic situation, by all means.
Edited By - Saint - 23 Jul 2007 03:21:21 GMT |
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23 Jul 2007 02:56:48 GMT