Tamil refugees seeking asylum from the British-claimed Chagos Islands face being forcibly removed to a third country under Rwanda-style plans drawn up by the British government, reports The Guardian.
The UK government lawyers have told the asylum seekers that if they (Tamil refugees) cannot be returned to Sri Lanka they will be removed to another undisclosed country.
UK’s Foreign Office insiders said ministers are examining possible deals with “third countries” ready to accept the refugees, with Rwanda being a possible destination for them.
A first boat of Tamil refugees, including alleged torture victims, arrived just over a year ago on Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos Islands, which the UK claims their territory and continues to claiming sovereignty over, despite a UN court ruling.
The disclosures have worried campaigners for Tamil refugees.
Zehrah Hasan, an advocacy director for the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, said, “The government of UK has denied Tamil refugees basic rights in the Chagos Islands for over a year now. In a callous move, it looks like they may expel these same refugees to a third country, similar to the Rwanda plan.”
“Those who’ve fled persecution must have their voices heard and their right to protection in the UK recognized,” she added.
The Foreign Office’s plan emerged in a letter sent last week by the government legal department to lawyers representing Tamil asylum seekers. It said that an amendment to the British Indian Ocean Territory (Immigration) Order 2004 allowed the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) commissioner to remove migrants to a third country.
“If the commissioner decides that one or more of the migrants cannot be safely returned to Sri Lanka, British government policy is that those persons will not be taken to the UK, they will be taken to a safe third country instead,” the letter said.
A note attached to the amendment says it “removes the requirement for an individual to consent to their removal to a place other than the place from which they came or their country of nationality”.
A Foreign Office of the UK source said the government was examining options for a bespoke third country scheme for BIOT countries, but did not rule out Rwanda as an option. They declined to say whether the government had held any specific talks with third countries about a possible scheme.
While the UK is a party to the 1951 refugee convention, which guarantees that those entering British borders are able to apply for asylum, Diego Garcia is one of a few places under British sovereignty where the convention does not apply.
There are believed to be about 120 Tamil people, including 20 children, on the island who are being housed in a fenced encampment within the joint US-UK military base.
Their lawyers say they include victims of torture, who have previously complained of being prevented from contacting their families and legal representatives.
Sri Lanka is experiencing economic collapse and political unrest, which culminated in the ousting of the Rajapaksa government in May. Many of the asylum seekers on Diego Garcia say they are fleeing the persecution they face as part of Sri Lanka’s minority Tamil ethnic group.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
