Confronting the past: The fate of asylum seekers returned to Sri Lanka

Reconciliation efforts by the Sri Lankan government have made little progress in advancing the rights of the Tamil minority group in a real sense, not least since the change in government in 2015.  Sri Lankan Tamils including children continue to arrive to Australia eight years after the civil war ended in 2009 between the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.  Tamils flee their island nation fearing persecution and they struggle to see a future for themselves in a country that has denied them equal rights for decades.  Some Tamils risk their lives and arrive to Australia by boat, while others arrive as migrants.  Many are now Australian citizens, however there remains a group of Tamils in offshore Australian detention centers – their claims for refugee status in many ways reinforcing the massive failure of the Sri Lankan government to confront its past and make meaningful steps towards improving the situation.  Consequently, the asylum seekers face the prospect of returning to a country where their safety is not guaranteed.

The following article written by the author was recently published in The Conversation AU and provides a glimpse into the fate of returned asylum seekers to Sri Lanka:

https://theconversation.com/not-all-is-forgiven-for-asylum-seekers-returned-to-sri-lanka-73361