Lankan refugees in Vietnam appeal: “Don’t send us back home”

Over 300 Sri Lankan refuge seekers currently, in Vietnam, are pleading with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to not return them to Sri Lanka and instead resettle them in a third country, as refugees.

Vietnamese Coast Guard vessels on Tuesday (08) rescued 303 suspected illegal migrants from Sri Lanka, including many children, who were at risk, drifting on the high seas between Vietnam and the Philippines, when their vessel had broken down.

State Minister of Foreign Affairs Tharaka Balasuriya told the media that 303 Sri Lankans were heading to Canada from Myanmar.He said that among the 303 Sri Lankans are women and children.

Sri Lanka has already sought the repatriation of the 303 people who were rescued from a distressed vessel and taken to Vietnam.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it continues to monitor the progress of the passengers of Sri Lankan origin who were rescued and bought to the Port of Vung Tau, in Vietnam, on 08 November, 2022.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Sri Lanka Navy that they had received information about a vessel carrying approximately 303 persons, believed to be Sri Lankans, which was in distress in the waters between the Philippines and Vietnam, on 07 November, 2022. The Sri Lanka Navy having contacted the vessel, informed that the crew had abandoned the vessel with the passengers onboard.

On the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in coordination with the Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Missions in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, together with the regional Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCC), based in Singapore, the rescue efforts were coordinated.

Subsequently, the Japanese-flagged vessel, “Helios Leader”, having been contacted by the Singapore MRCC, rescued the passengers from the distressed vessel. The passengers were handed over to Viet Nam authorities at Vung Tau Port in South Vietnam.

The screening of the passengers will be done by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM, in coordination with the Vietnam authorities and the Sri Lanka Embassy in Vietnam.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it continues to work closely with the Sri Lanka Missions in the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and IOM for early repatriation, once the screening process to ascertain their nationality and other formalities are completed.