A new policy note introduced by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board which processes asylum seekers' applications says “Meaningful changes in Sri Lanka suggest that Tamils - particularly young males - won’t be persecuted because of their social group or political opinions”.
The Globe and Mail last week reported that this ‘note’ by the IRB to help refugee board members in ‘sound reasoning’ and to be ‘adopted in appropriate circumstances’, could affect the refugee claimants who arrived on the vessels, Ocean Lady and Sun Sea.The IRB processes the asylum seekers' applications of illegal immigrants who originated from Sri Lanka.
When the two rusty vessels, Ocean Lady and Sun Sea reached the Canadian shores with nearly 450 illegal immigrants on board in 2009 and 2010, Sri Lanka informed the Canadian authorities that the two ships were part of the LTTE’s international human trafficking network and may be carrying potentially dangerous hardcore members of the terror outfit.
The IRB decision which stresses the fact that ‘your life is not in danger because you are a Tamil who has been sent back to Sri Lanka’, is a diplomatic victory for Sri Lanka, observers said.
The country had been countering the propaganda mill of the ‘rump-LTTE’ which is trying to portray a tarnished image of human rights within the country, undermining the peace dividends.
The Permanent Representative to the UN Dr. Palitha Kohona in a separate interview with the Sunday Observer (See story on Page 4) said, “I think the way we have worked with these Governments (Australia and Canada) over the past two or three years, has borne fruit.”
He said that foreign missions had done their part to keep the UN and other countries informed of the LTTE’s activities including their lucrative human trafficking operations. Elaborating on the LTTE’s overseas propaganda Dr.Kohona, a former Head of UN’s Treaty Section said, “The LTTE has to remain in its current form if it is to continue raising funds. They make up anything to keep the anger and bitterness continuing because for them it’s a way of making a living and maintaining a certain lifestyle for some leaders.”
Australia in a policy statement issued earlier said that Sri Lanka is not a place where people can legitimately claim that they are being discriminated on the basis of religion, race and political affiliation.
Sunday Observer - by Manjula FERNANDO
