(File photo)
The Sri Lankan Navy arrested three members of an Eelam Tamil refugee family, including a three-year-old child, who had arrived by boat from India near Thalaimannar on Monday.
The family, originally from Mullaithivu, had fled the island during Sri Lanka’s economic collapse two years ago and were residing at the Mandapam Sri Lankan Tamils Rehabilitation Centre in Tamil Nadu, India. Their return journey, taken outside official repatriation channels, ended in detention by Sri Lankan authorities. The Mandapam police in India have since launched an investigation into how the family managed to escape by sea.
The arrests came just a day after another returning refugee, a 75-year-old man who had arrived at Palaly Airport with UNHCR assistance, was released by the Mallakam Magistrate’s Court following public pressure. That arrest was widely condemned by local politicians, including former MP and attorney M.A. Sumanthiran, who pointed out that the elderly returnee had followed all proper procedures and obtained necessary clearances from relevant authorities.
Sumanthiran warned that such arrests jeopardize the future of nearly thousands of returning refugees currently awaiting return to Sri Lanka through formal repatriation programmes.
Sri Lankan Minister Bimal Rathnayake attributed the arrest to the automatic enforcement of an outdated wartime regulation that should have been reformed long ago. He said discussions with Minister Ananda Wijepala to implement immediate legal reforms.
