In spite of the UK-based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) and several international human rights groups constantly alleging systematic abuse of those who had been deported from the UK, the British High Commission yesterday said it was not aware of a single case of deportee abuse since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009.


The British High Commission had not received any substantiated allegations of mistreatment on return of those removed from the UK, a spokesperson for the HC said. She was responding to a query by The Island whether the UK mission had received complaints against the government, the military or the police.


Asked for the number of persons sent back during the past three years, the HC official said that since January 2009 to March, 2012, 970 individuals had been deported. The deported included both enforced and voluntarily removals, the official said. There were 207 deportations in 2009, 242 in 2010, 413 in 2011 and 108 in the first quarter of this year.


The GTF and the British Tamil Forum (BTF) campaigned against continuing deportations during President Mahinda Rajapaksa`s recent visit to London to attend the Queen`s Diamond Jubilee celebrations.


British lawmaker, Lord Naseby, during a recent visit to Colombo, told The Island that some human rights organizations had been engaged in anti-Sri Lanka campaign at the behest of Tamil Diaspora.