The deportations came after Italian and Sri Lankan governments signed an agreement on 24 September for the return of Sri Lankans ‘who do not have the right to enter or remain’ in Italy. A press release by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry says that the two countries agreed to protect the safety and dignity of persons being returned.
Sri Lanka has entered into similar agreements with four other European nations and the Foreign Ministry says negotiations with the European Commission on a multilateral agreement on rejected asylum seekers are underway. The Ministry also says that "these agreements are designed to discourage, inter alia, human smuggling that provides a ready source for fundraising on foreign soil by terrorist groups and their sympathizers operating abroad". Sri Lanka has said that it has also signed a return agreement with Britain, but the details are unknown. Sources say that a Norwegian team would be visiting Sri Lanka on 13 December for an assessment of the situation to return refugees.
These are underway while the fighting between the Sri Lankan state and the LTTE continues and human rights violations are committed in the context of the war. Sri Lankan government measures for improvement have been inadequate and the security forces continue to violate human rights with impunity. Although the state of Emergency lapsed in July, the security forces in southern areas continued to demand proof of police registration. Four Tamils from Batticaloa were arrested by police on 2 October in Mount Lavinia for non-registration. Three other Batticaloa residents were detained in Kandy in early October for the same reason. Resident of Haputale in the Hill Country, A Jeyaraj was taken into custody in Colombo by the Airforce in early November. S Sathiyakumar from Ratnapura was also arrested when he came to Colombo for employment.
The police say that Tiger cadre continue to infiltrate southern areas and security has been tightened in the run-up to LTTE’s annual Great Heroes Week in November and the general elections scheduled for 5 December.
Two policemen and a civilian were killed by a suicide bomber on Chitra Lane in Havelock Town suburb in Colombo on 29 October. Nineteen others were wounded. Ten Tamils were arrested in this connection. Police say the LTTE may have intended to target Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake who was scheduled to travel that way. Former minister GL Peiris lives on Kirula Place, a stone’s throw from Chitra Lane.