Sri Lanka blames UNHCR in asylum row

The Sri Lankan Government on Saturday blamed the United Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees in Sri Lanka over an issue surrounding Pakistani asylum seekers in this south Asian nation.

Sri Lankan authorities have decided to deport asylum seekers arrested despite their having sought asylum through the UN refugee agency.

The Ministry of External Affairs said that in keeping with its obligations under customary international law, the Sri Lankan government has been engaging consistently with UNHCR to address and manage the asylum seeker population, particularly its increase.

In March 2013, as the number of asylum seekers in Sri Lanka began to increase, the Sri Lankan government requested the UNHCR in Sri Lanka to assist by taking certain measures, which included the establishment of a safe house/welfare center for those identified as refugees until they are accepted for resettlement in a third country.

However, the Ministry of External Affairs said UNHCR had not addressed these requirements and neither had UNHCR managed to expedite the twin processes of status determination of asylum seekers and resettlement of those identified as refugees in third countries.

The ministry said the number of refugees or asylum seekers had risen 700 percent in the 2013-14 period. By June 30, there were 1,562 asylum seekers and 308 refugees, it said.

"The influx of asylum seekers and their tendency not to have an established place of residence has resulted in serious law and order, security, as well as health-related issues for the authorities," the External Affairs Ministry said.

The Sri Lankan government said that a single country cannot be expected to carry a burden of this nature for an indefinite period of time and therefore, these asylum seekers are being encouraged to return, in the vital security interests of Sri Lanka and the region as a whole.

The Sri Lankan government also blamed people trafficking networks for the recent rise in asylum seekers reaching its shores.

In the past two days, Sri Lanka had deported 18 people, with another 10 deportations expected on Sunday, UNHCR said in a statement, adding that the repatriations breached a "no forced return" principle.

"This principle is binding on all states and precludes them from sending asylum seekers and refugees to a country where their life or freedom would be threatened," it said. The Convention on Torture also forbids sending people back to places where they might be tortured, it added.