Call to lift ban on movement of Rohingyas to Sri Lanka
A day after Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe categorically stated that his government will not admit Rohingya refugees into the country, a pro-peace think tank, the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka appealed to the Sri Lankan government to lift the ban on the entry of Rohingya refugees, taking into account the “intensity of atrocities against men, women and children at unprecedented scale in their native Myanmar”.
“We regret that they have been sent away without being considered as refugees,” NPC said in a statement released in Colombo on Sunday. “The plight of entire communities of people who have lost their loved ones, homes and properties due to the conflict in Myanmar has a special resonance to us in Sri Lanka. Due to the ethnic conflict, terrorism and war that last over
three decades, we lost over a million of our people who left the country to seek asylum in other parts of the world.”
“The National Peace Council therefore urges the government to reconsider its decision to screen out Rohingyas to prevent them from entering Sri Lanka,” the statement said pointing out that as a member country of the United Nations, Sri Lanka is a signatory to the UN Convention of 1951 pertaining to the status of refugees and has an obligation to take on global responsibilities.
On Friday the prime minister told a meeting of a government parliamentary group that the refugees coming to Sri Lanka give rise to suspicion that they are part of an “organised” immigration racket, adding that Rohingya refugees of Myanmar can easily seek refuge in Bangladesh or Thailand.
His comments come in the backdrop of counter demonstrations being held in the island nation, opposing each other’s viewpoint on the Rohingya Muslim issue in Myanmar where the Sinhala Buddhist majority population and the Muslim minority community see the tragic events in Myanmar as a Muslim-Buddhist issue and not as a humanitarian issue.
In the Muslim-majority areas in Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province, Muslims earlier this month began demonstrating against the killing of Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
Muslim leaders in the capital city of Colombo, including those in the ruling United National Party, took up the issue subsequently, demanding international action against the Myanmar government. This led to Buddhist organisations organising counter protests marching towards the Myanmar High Commission in Colombo demanding that Sri Lanka should not accommodate Rohingya Muslim refugees, who, they alleged, had destroyed Buddhist places of worship and massacred Buddhist monks.
(Source: Dawn)
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The peace Council or Jehan Perera ought to address issues related to refugees withi9n Sri Lanka perhaps Jehan Perera being a catholic does not see the refugees within or those living on less than 3 us dollars a day without basic needs. There are countries like countries better qualified to absorb these displaced communities as opposed to sri lanka.
Jehan Perera often writes about peace in Sri Lanka resulting forom conflicts between the tamils and muslims and Rohingiyas would only compound this problem for they area a militant group that have been attacking the political system there. President Trump invoked a presidential decree to ban Muslims given refugee status some arab countries because of terrorism. The situation in Sri Lanka is worse for as is Jehan admits to the hostilities between the sinhalese and muslims and rohingiyas will only escalate the problem.
Only for once we hope that Ranil does not cave into petitions filed by the likes of Jehan P
what is Harvard educated Jehan Perera nig ,am of the peace council think of US policy on the Muslim ravel ban imposed on terrorism grounds. Over the past few months he had no declaration on this issue. Maybe he is pussy footing on this is for he is scared that he maybe labelled a terror sympathizer therefore banned from ravel into the US
The Rohingya’s can be settled in Bathiutheen Pura (in the Wilpattu Park).
Why not?
Hi Mr/s Piyungi Aleida,
Good point. Before wend Rohingia there are some burning questions to answer. It is still a mystery about settlers in cleared 13,000 acres in Bathiutheen Pura (Vilpattu). Who are these people? Are they Sri Lankan? Do they have ID cards? Where they came from? Who funded these houses? How they were selected (criteria). Do they have a Grama Sevaka?
Fantastic questions, Amarakoon.
Only a Presidential Commission (like the one for the Bond Scam) can provide answers.
That Dappula guy from AG Dept is the Super Star!