News
UK grants ‘third country’ asylum for two Sri Lankans following suicide attempts
Two Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were transferred to Rwanda earlier this month after attempting suicide on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia were approved by UK authorities on Thursday to receive asylum in a third country.
Documents notifying the man and woman of the decision, which The New Humanitarian has reviewed, say they will not be returned to Sri Lanka, where they fear persecution by the government. A third country for resettlement has not yet been identified, however.
The two asylum seekers, Hamshika Krishnamoorthi, 22, and Ajith Sajithkumar, 22, were among the first 89 Tamil asylum seekers to arrive on Diego Garcia in October 2021. Their boat broke down near the island, and they were rescued by British forces.
The numbers of Sri Lankan asylum seekers swelled to nearly 200 in 2022, but many either accepted payments from the UK to return to Sri Lanka or voluntarily left by boat to seek asylum on the French island of Réunion.
Of the remaining 68 asylum seekers, many say they were tortured and sexually abused by Sri Lankan security forces for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – a separatist group that fought for independence during a 26-year-civil war against the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan government.
While more than 50 people have had their asylum claims assessed by UK officials on the island, most have been rejected. Their rejection letters include the line: “A removal order will be issued for your return to Sri Lanka.”
“I am very happy, but at the same time, worried about how much longer it will be,” Krishnamoorthi told The New Humanitarian via WhatsApp from the Rwanda Military Hospital in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.
Geeth Kulasegaram, a senior legal adviser at London-based Jein Solicitors who represents the two asylum seekers, said he is seeking a stay order from a judge in the UK to prevent his clients from being brought back to Diego Garcia.He said the opinions of medical experts in Rwanda were instrumental in securing asylum for his clients.
“We had already submitted strong medical evidence for both [clients], warning the BIOT [authorities] that they are suffering from serious mental health issues and [are] at high risk of suicide,” he told The New Humanitarian via WhatsApp. “Initially, the BIOT did not appear to have considered them properly or [with] enough weight. However…the doctors in Rwanda also confirmed the same, which must have left the BIOT with no choice.”
“I’m hopeful that this will have a positive impact on other cases in Diego Garcia,” he added. – The New Humanitarian
Approval has been granted at the Cabinet meeting held on 22.07.2024 to publish the draft bill of State Assets Management Act in the government gazette notification and thereby present it to the Parliament for its concurrence.
However, the draft bill couldn’t be passed in Parliament as a result of the Parliament being dissolved in the month of October 2024.
Thereafter, the draft bill was subject to further inspection by a
committee appointed which comprised of officials and authorities on the subject.
The said Committee has recognized the amendments to be made and a fundamental draft has been prepared including the proposed amendments.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to suspend further activities regarding the draft bill of State Assets Management Act published in the extraordinary gazette of 02.08.2024, and to direct the Legal Draftsman to prepare a draft bill based on the fundamental draft prepared by the subject specialists’ committee.
Considering the compliance of the Cooperative Societies’ operations with the concurrent socio – economic circumstances as well as the changes in the common law, the requirement of amending the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 of 1972 has been recognized.
A fundamental draft including proposed amendments based on the experience gained by that Commission as well as the opinions and proposals of Cooperative societies, their director board members, cooperative employees and other interested parties has been prepared.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to the resolution furnished by the Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative development to provide instructions to the Legal draftsman to prepare a draft bill to amend the Cooperative Employees Commission Act No. 12 0f 1972, based on the said fundamental draft.
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