Sri Lanka human rights body cries foul over denial to visit Rohingyas

On 29 Dec 2024 15:36:57

Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission has written a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleging

Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission has written a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleging that they have been denied permission to meet Rohingya refugees staying at a military camp since last week.

“On December 26, a team of officials from the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), including a director, attempted to monitor the detention conditions of these asylum seekers at the Sri Lanka Air Force Camp in Mullaitivu in the Northern Province. However, they were refused access to the asylum seekers,” the letter said.

The Sri Lanka Navy on December 20 said they had rescued over 100 Rohingyas from Myanmar in a distressed condition in the seas off the island’s northeastern coast.

They were spotted by local fishermen in the Mullaithivu district’s Vellamullivaikkal area. The government later said their arrival could be due to a human trafficking racket.

“Investigations revealed that they had deliberately landed here and we consider them as illegal immigrants,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Arun Hemachandra was quoted as saying by The Sunday Times here.

The HRCSL letter stated that the powers and functions of the commission extend not only to Sri Lankan citizens but to “any person” detained within Sri Lanka.

The commission said it had the statutory authority to access the said Air Force Camp and monitor the detention conditions of all asylum seekers, including the children present there.

The HRCSL has summoned the controller general of immigration and emigration and other responsible officials who obstructed the commission's attempts to monitor the detention conditions to appear before it on December 31 to provide an explanation.