The Australian government has identified Sri Lanka`s west coast, a series of LARGELY SINHALESE CATHOLIC FISHING VILLAGES and the most popular jumping-off point for illegal boats, as the first target in their campaign. So prevalent is illegal immigration from that area that whole pockets of one village are known as LITTLE ITALY in honour of the Italianate villas financed with money sent back by LOCALS WHO HAVE WASHED UP ON EUROPE`S SHORES.

Last week SIX SINHALA CHRISTIANS from that region became the first Sri Lankans to be returned by the Rudd government. The men were deemed to be ECONOMIC MIGRANTS with no reasonable fear of persecution on their return.

The Australian understands the Sri Lankan navy intercepted a boat with up to 60 asylum-seekers last week as it left Negombo Port headed for Western Australia. ALL THOSE ON BOARD, BELIEVED TO BE MOSTLY WEST COAST LOCALS, ARE NOW IN NEGOMBO PRISON.

The Rudd government will offer micro-loans, free volleyball nets and fishing nets to poor Sri Lankans as part of a campaign to dissuade them from illegally migrating to Australia.

Four hundred chairs, 300 fishing nets and 50 volleyball nets will be distributed in coming weeks to community centres and churches across the COUNTRY`S WEST COAST all the products bearing warnings of the perils of the Indian Ocean crossing.

Australia will also offer community grants and micro-financing for local job creation projects in the hope that improving the lives of poor Sri Lankans in their own country will reduce the likelihood that they will seek a better life elsewhere.

Sri Lankans are now among the largest group of asylum-seekers in Australia with more than 300 washing up on our shores in the past year. The freebies, known as livelihood products are part of an advertising campaign being launched this month in Sri Lanka.
Australia Customs has hired the International Organization for Migration and advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi to deliver its message through posters, stickers, bookmarks and street theatre performances.

IOM Sri Lanka spokeswoman Stacey Winston said: These products are really effective, small amounts really make a big difference. There will be two rounds of distribution of livelihood products. That`s what we will deliver in the first round but we have some flexibility to change the products .

While posters and performances had proven wonderfully effective in previous public information campaigns in Sri Lanka we wanted something tangible to give them also , she said. The loans would not be advertised in the campaign but offered to community leaders in follow-meetings.

The first street performance for the Australian campaign was to have been launched yesterday during a Catholic feast day at St Sebastian Church in NEGOMBO an event attended by hundreds of local parishioners. But the Australian government cancelled the event less than 24 hours before it was scheduled.

Parish priest Father Erington Silva said the Australian Government had missed an opportunity to reach a large audience of locals and drive its message home.

He also questioned the effectiveness of handing out free volleyball nets to communities of people so poor they were prepared to risk a perilous, month-long boat trip in the hope of a better life in a more prosperous country. I think people might be a bit cynical about that, Father Erington said.

But he said the Rudd government plan to offer grants and micro financing could help in an area where mass unemployment was forcing many to either work in the people-smuggling trade or take their chances on the boats. If you can do something like that for people here, where there`s so much poverty and unemployment, then maybe we can change peoples` minds little by little.