Mujibur requests AKD to reconsider deporting Rohingya refugees

Monday, 6 January 2025 03:42 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

SJB MP Mujibur Rahman

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Mujibur Rahman has requested President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to reconsider the Government’s decision to deport 103 Rohingya refugees, including over 40 children, who arrived at the coast of Mullivaikkal in Mullaitivu, on 19 December 2024.

“We are deeply saddened by the Government’s decision to deport these Rohingya people who fled their war-torn country due to fear. The Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission has stated that there are over 40 children among them and their desire is to seek political asylum in a safer country,” Rahman said in his letter to the President.

He has also mentioned that deporting those refugees back to war-torn Myanmar, as said by Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala, would put their lives in danger and will also violate international principles that prohibit sending people to a country where they face threats of persecution.

Rahman has urged President Dissanayake to show Sri Lanka’s commitment to protect human rights and communal harmony by ensuring the safety of these refugees until they could be resettled in a safe country.

He also emphasised that this would be a good opportunity for Sri Lanka to demonstrate its compassion and hospitality in line with global human rights standards.

“In this matter, the President will not only get the support of international organisations, including the UN, but also the support of the Opposition to ensure the safety of those Rohingya refugees,” Rahman’s letter added.