SRI LANKA – GREAT BRITAIN London calls on Colombo to crack down on clandestine immigration

The economic crisis has led many Sri Lankans to emigrate. When checks and rejections stopped sea migration to Australia, the UK became the second choice. The network of traffickers that supplies forged passports and documents and the testimony of those who want to reach the United Kingdom.

Colombo () – London has asked the Colombo government to help stop the irregular migration of Sri Lankans to Great Britain. Last week, the British high commissioner in the Asian country, Sarah Hulton, met with the Minister of Public Security, Tiran Alles, and asked that cooperation be strengthened to solve the problem. Also present at the meeting was the director of the India and Indo-Pacific section of the Commonwealth and Development Office, Ben Mellor, as the issue of illegal immigration is a matter of concern for both countries.

Political analyst Ruwan Malalaskera explained to that “the request reflects the commitment of the British government to guarantee the integrity of the migration system and the management of departures, in a way that is in accordance with the law.” However, in practice it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain UK visas, as confirmed by Vadivel Karthigesu and Ambiga Selvaratnam from Jaffna and Kankasanthurei in the Northern Province and Mathipalan Pathmarajah and Ganesh Sivarajah from Trincomalee and Batticaloa in the Eastern Province. “That’s why -they say- people turn to traffickers to obtain false documents” to leave the country.

It is widely believed that “the vast majority” of irregular migrants use “false passports” to try to get to the UK, which are made by “people with years of experience in preparing false documents”, who have a “very profitable”. Arjun Pillamarai, a human rights activist in Colombo, says that “80-85% of people who emigrate from Sri Lanka do so on fake passports” in the hope of finding a job. “Most of them,” he adds, “are asking for asylum and hope that they will eventually be allowed to work in Britain.”

Last year, due to the economic crisis, most of the migrants tried to reach Australia’s shores by fishing boats, but many of them were intercepted and turned away by the Colombo navy. That is why they are now trying to travel overland to the UK, via India, as is clear from the stories of people who have decided to leave. Suresh Sritharan, from Alaveddy, Jaffna, is in the capital waiting to travel to London. “I don’t want to go back to Jaffna because I sold everything, including my house, fields and motorbike. There are many people like me -he adds- who plan to leave soon. I will learn English, I will volunteer, everything in my power to get to the UK.” Thivendran and Shobna Aruliah, with two children aged nine and six, are also from Jaffna but are now living in a single room in Colombo while they wait to travel. They want to give “a better future” to the children. “Here we only have two meals a day. Sometimes our children go to bed hungry, they can’t go to school because they don’t have books, backpacks or shoes. I’m sure we can adjust to life [en el Reino Unido]. Most of the inhabitants of our village -they conclude- went to Australia or Canada. We also hope to leave as soon as possible.”