The UN, several national governments and human rights groups have consistently raised serious concerns over the return of Tamil asylum seekers to Sri Lanka, particularly those with known links to the LTTE. It said “there were not substantial grounds for believing [Shantaruban] faces a real risk of irreparable harm if returned to Sri Lanka”. All is forgiven,” the Sri Lankan prime minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, said of Tamil asylum seekers when he visited Australia last February. “It is unreasonable for the committee against torture to accept the testimony of the Australian government while ignoring eyewitness testimony of refugees in this case. The Tamil Refugee Council argues that if this submission has not been received, Shantaruban’s circumstance may not have been properly considered.

Source: Sunday Times February 21, 2018 15:11 UTC