Sonya Douglas and Rear Admiral Dammika Wijewardana exchange mementoes at the Northern Naval Command headquarters. Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy
An official from New Zealand’s High Commission in Colombo has met the Sri Lankan Navy’s commander in the North to discuss what both sides call “irregular migration”, as Tamils continue to flee a homeland that remains under military occupation more than 17 years after the end of the Tamil liberation war.
Sonya Douglas, the “Liaison Officer for Irregular Migration” at the New Zealand High Commission, called on Rear Admiral Dammika Wijewardana, Commander Northern Naval Area, at the Northern Naval Command headquarters on 26 October, the Sri Lanka Navy said .
According to the navy, the discussions covered “illegal migration trends” in the Northern Province, maritime border security, human trafficking and transnational organised crime. Neither the navy nor the High Commission referred to the reasons Tamils are leaving the North-East.
Douglas meets Rear Admiral Wijewardana. Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy
The meeting places a foreign government alongside the very force Tamils say they are fleeing. The Northern Naval Area covers the waters off the Tamil homeland, where the Sri Lankan Navy has a long record of abuses against Tamils. Earlier this month, a navy officer awarded combat medals for undisclosed wartime operations took over as deputy commander of the area.
A former navy commander was arrested this year over the “Gun Site” detention complex in the Trincomalee naval base, which Tamil survivors and international experts have long identified as a secret torture site where Tamils were held illegally during and after the war.
Tamils have continued to flee the North-East since the end of the war, many seeking asylum abroad. Rights groups have documented ongoing torture and abductions of Tamils by Sri Lankan security forces, and the families of those who escaped have reported being harassed and assaulted by the military and police after they fled. Last year a Tamil family fled Sri Lanka by boat and arrived in India.
Douglas signs the visitors’ book at the Northern Naval Command headquarters. Photograph: Sri Lanka Navy
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
Please use below email to contact us:
Loading comments…