Sri Lankan police have arrested a group of 13 asylum seekers who were attempting to flee to Australia, including those from the North-East of the island, in a raid reported ColomboPage.

The group, which included people from Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Vavuniya, had each paid a smuggler in Jaffna Rs. 10,000, in order to make the perilous journey over to Australia. The police, acting after receiving a tip-off, have held all of them in custody.

Photograph Salem News

“A large number of women fleeing from the conflict areas during the peak of fighting were sexually assaulted. The abuse was extensive, causing a large number of civilians to flee back to the theater of conflict to escape the abuse”

“The similarity of the torture, rape and sexual violence perpetrated against the witnesses confirms a well-organised pattern of systematic abuse on the part of the Government of Sri Lanka security forces.”

"There is method in this. It is coercive. It is a deliberate policy. People throughout the security forces in Sri Lanka are involved. This is deeply entrenched and systematic."

“We made it crystal clear that devolution of police power is not acceptable",

“It has been 5 years since the war ended and people are facing difficulties that are greater than the difficulties the faced before the end of the war,” said Premachandran during a press conference at his office.