An economic exodus?

Thursday, 9 August 2012 01:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Within the last 72 hours 160 people have been detained by the Navy, attempting to cross the waters to Australia. This is in addition to numbers from July topping 530 and if early indications are anything to go by, there is every chance that this month’s numbers will top the charts. So far any attempt by the Government has been ineffective and the situation strongly mirrors the adverse economic conditions faced by people.

Previously, the number of Sri Lankans seeking asylum in Australia by boat peaked at 736 in 2009, the year Government forces ended the country’s 27-year civil war. In 2010, 536 Sri Lankans arrived by boat.

The majority leave from Sri Lanka, but an increasing number are coming via southern India, where tens of thousands of Tamils live in refugee camps, and an established network of people smugglers operates. The rush of asylum seekers attempting the dangerous crossing of the Indian Ocean shows no sign of abating and this is worrying indeed.

For the past three years, Sri Lanka’s economic and social situation has increased significantly. Many people are grateful for the security this has brought, for not only can families now know that their loved ones will not be killed in bomb blasts, but also that economic opportunities are increasing. It would seem that this is an improving situation, if not an ideal one. But as the arrest of over 500 asylum seekers proved last month and again a few days ago, the problem remains.

It is therefore clear that the Government as well as all other stakeholders need to combine and find an effective and multi-faceted method to help people not be fooled into skipping the country for wrongful reasons. While there has been progress in working with countries such as Australia to reduce the number of asylum seekers, it is clear from recent events that the work is far from over.

The fact that Sri Lanka needs to tighten its human smuggling and asylum seeker legislations is an obvious point. Unscrupulous people who dupe others into parting with their savings on false promises of a plentiful life need to be punished severely. Yet, at the same time, there must be economic opportunities made available to them so that their reasons for leaving are no longer valid.

Awareness of the danger could be one aspect that needs to be driven home, but the ordeal they will face if they reach their destination must be made known to them as well. Perhaps the most important point is that they must be provided with security and the assurance that law and order will protect them, thus allowing them to be productive citizens in their own country. Subjecting children to such a horrific experience should not be allowed at all.

Given that public officials are also among the numbers detained, the time has come to accept that the asylum seekers issue has a deep economic facet that cannot be explained away by international conspiracies or human smugglers connected to the LTTE. Latest statistics from the Central Bank also back this idea with inflation nearing double digits for the first time in three-and-a-half years. Giving economic returns to the majority of people is the biggest challenge and ultimately the best solution to this exodus.