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From left: Australia Home Affairs Department Counsellor Minister Commander Chris Waters, Human Trafficking Human Smuggling and Maritime Crimes of CID Director SSP Samarakoon Banda, Australian Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders Commander Rear Admiral Justin Jones, Naval Operations Director General Rear Admiral Pradeep Rathnayake, Coast Guard Director General Rear Admiral Pujitha Vithana and SL Police Media Spokesperson SSP Nihal Thalduwa – Pic by Ruwan Walpola
Australia yesterday insisted “Zero Chance” for Sri Lankans attempting to illegally enter its waters via boats following successful interception of seven boats with 224 nationals in the past year alone while thousands had failed in recent years.
“The partnership between the Sri Lankan and Australian governments to combat the criminal people smuggling trade is gold standard, and the recent interception is proof of that enduring closeness,” Commander Joint Agency Task Force Operation Sovereign Borders, Rear Admiral Justin Jones, CSC, RAN told the media in Colombo yesterday.
His visit follows an Operation Sovereign Borders interception and return in early May, where 41 Sri Lankan individuals, who left from Valaichchenai, were attempting to migrate illegally by boat to Australia.
“This interception also demonstrates there is ongoing work to be done to educate people about the dangers and repercussions of these illegal journeys,” emphasised Rear Admiral Jones who since assuming office 17 months ago had made four visits to Sri Lanka.
His visit reinforced Australia’s commitment to stopping illegal people smuggling and said the success in suppressing the illegal people smuggling trade is an ongoing success of both governments, but there is always more work to be done.
He described maritime people smugglers as criminals who are not interested in moral service to the society but make money at the expense of people.
Human Trafficking Human Smuggling and Maritime Crimes of CID Director SSP Samarakoon Banda revealed that post 2009 illegal migration via boat intensified and around 5,600 were nabbed trying to flee to Australia. He said in 2022 over 2,000 were arrested in Sri Lankan waters whilst 183 were deported by Australian authorities.
“The smugglers are cheating innocent people. Our appeal is don’t try the impossible as there is zero chance to enter Australia via boats,” Banda said, adding that there was an incident when one smuggler had claimed to have duped 800 people to flee via the sea.
Those who are engaged in illegal migration are fined between Rs. 50,000 and Rs. 200,000 whilst smugglers are subject to rigorous imprisonment between two and five years as per laws enacted in 2016. It was revealed that the Australian Government was supporting the Sri Lanka Navy and the Coastal Guards with training and other support including fuel and spare parts for patrol crafts.
Rear Admiral Jones, whose responsibilities cover 11 countries within the region, was emphatic that there were no “pull factors” referring to any relaxation in Australian Government’s stand on illegal migrants. In terms of “push factors” he acknowledged that last year Sri Lanka’s crisis was an instigator for people to consider illegal migration but today the situation was different and has improved in the country. However he said Australia will continue to be vigilant.
His advice to Lankans was to use legal pathways if keen to migrate to Australia and don’t believe lies spread by smugglers of easy passage, visa and jobs.
In a statement Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera was quoted as saying: “People are still being lured to part with their hard-earned savings and falsely believe that an illegal maritime journey will work. It will not. That is why educating communities on both the pitfalls as well as the legal pathway is vital to stemming the flow.”
Sri Lanka Police Media Spokesperson, Nihal Thalduwa, commended the effectiveness of the partnership between Sri Lanka and Australia in deterring and disrupting illegal maritime ventures.
“Sri Lanka Police works very closely with Australia to combat the threat of people smuggling and other transnational organised crimes. We are resolute in stopping vulnerable people from falling prey to people smugglers,” Thalduwa said.
Research conducted during the recent Zero Chance community roadshow pointed to a high degree of awareness among Sri Lankans of Australia’s tough border protection policies, but varying degrees of awareness of the legal consequences of attempts to reach Australia by boat.
Ninety-seven per cent of those surveyed had a strong awareness of Australia’s policies on illegal maritime migration. This level of awareness speaks to the dedication of Sri Lankan partners in extending the reach of the Zero Chance message to various socio-economic groups in Sri Lanka, Australia said.
