Unless they returned to Sri Lanka “voluntarily,” the United Kingdom has planned to relocate Sri Lankan refugees seeking shelter from the British-controlled Chagos Islands to “a safe third country.”
The UK has informed the asylum seekers that they will be sent to another unnamed nation if they cannot be sent back to Sri Lanka. According to The Island, at least 120 Sri Lankans are reportedly living in a gated camp on Diego Garcia, an island in the Chagos Archipelago. Mauritius and the UK disagree on who has sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.
According to the United Nations, it belonged to Mauritius and should be returned to Mauritius. The UK should permit Sri Lankans to move there, according to those who represent their interests.
Global Tamil Forum, an independent, international advocacy group that supports Tamil speakers in Sri Lanka and other groups in Sri Lanka and upholds the values of democracy and non-violence, has stated that it will not participate in the ongoing dispute on the issue.
The Island wanted the GTF to comment on the contentious British decision to deny asylum in the UK. It questioned whether the subject would be brought up to the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is situated in Geneva (UNHRC).
Responding to this the GTF spokesperson, Suren Surendiran, said, “The GTF, as an organization that functions internationally and not specifically in a specific country as such, doesn’t usually get involved in country-specific matters, outside of Sri Lanka. The GTF is predominantly an international advocacy organization. There are various country-specific Tamil organizations. There are also Tamil institutions/organizations, including legal firms, acting and lobbying on immigration policies in the UK and in various other countries.”
According to The Island, the Chagos Islands were determined to belong to Mauritius by the United Nations Maritime Law Tribunal, the United Nations General Assembly, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Some of the individuals who had been “detained” in the contentious UK area left “voluntarily” for Sri Lanka. According to recent testimony before Parliament from UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister Jesse Norman, more than 60 Sri Lankans have willingly returned home.
Australia has now reaffirmed that it will not, under any circumstances, permit unlawful Sri Lankan immigration. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil, Commissioner of the Australian Border Force Michael Outram, and Commander of the Operation Sovereign Borders Joint Agency Task Force (JATF), Rear Admiral Justin Jones, all issued stern warnings that those who broke their laws would be dealt with, according to The Island.
