Sri Lankans using civil war as excuse to seek asylum, says envoy

News Limited ^ | November 8, 2009

[myknowledge]

SRI Lankans are using civil war as an excuse to seek asylum abroad, the country's high commissioner to Australia says.

Senaka Walgampaya said many Sri Lankan asylum seekers were actually "economic refugees" wanting a better life in Australia.

"As far as we can see, all the people who are seeking asylum in Australia are seeking to come here for a better life," he told Channel 10.

"Also, most of them have their friends and relatives here ... they are coming here to join up with them."

Mr Walgampaya said the Sri Lankan civil war was being used by nationals as an excuse to leave the country.

"They are making use of the post-conflict situation in Sri Lanka to make that excuse to seek asylum in Australia," he said.

Mr Walgampaya's comments come as the stalemate aboard an Australian customs ship holding 78 asylum seekers off Indonesia continues. Australia has been trying for two weeks to persuade the group of ethnic Tamils to voluntarily disembark the Oceanic Viking and enter the Tanjung Pinang Detention Centre on the Indonesian island of Bintan.

[myknowledge]

These refugees are nothing more than economic asylum seekers in the midst of an economic crisis along with Rudd's intentional mismanagement of our government.