"..Therefore AFTA strongly believes that the Australian TAXPAYERS’ money spent on Saatchi & Saatchi will only serve to distract the Sri Lankan general public (mainly Sinhalese) from the serious economic problems they are facing, particularly when the Presidential and Parliamentary elections are around the corner, than to serve its intended purpose.  .."

Senator the Hon Chris Evans
Minister for Immigration and Citizenship
PO Box 1322 
West Perth WA 6872 

Dear Hon. Minister 

Re: Australia Should Show Compassion to Tamil Refugees

The Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations (AFTA), the umbrella body representing the peak Tamil Associations in 7 States and territories in Australia and 2 peak Tamil Associations in the major cities, Wellington and Auckland in New Zealand, would like to appeal to you to show compassion towards the Tamils who had fled Sri Lanka and recognised by UNHCR as genuine refugees offshore. It is the delays encountered in finding hosting countries to offer them sanctuary, seem to let people smugglers exploit these desperate people.

Australia’s effort to stem the flow of Tamil boatpeople into Australia has been given high publicity in all the Australian media recently.

It first started with SBS journalist Amos Robert’s segment titled “Malaysia’s Crackdown” in the “Dateline” program on Saturday the 4th October 2009, http://www.sbs.com.au/dateline/story/watch/id/600182/n/Malaysia-s-Crackdown . This segment showed inhuman treatment of the asylum seekers in Malaysia in general and how frustrated the Tamil people who fled the war in Sri Lanka. Amos managed to gain access to the detention centres and exposed the fact that several persons who had been recognised by the UNHCR as genuine refugees are languishing at these centres under appalling conditions. It is painful to note that some have even gone to the brink of committing suicide.

This program also highlighted the plight of 140 Sri Lankan Tamils arrested by Malaysian law enforcement authorities under pressure from Australia, just before boarding a boat to come to Australia.  We also were able to watch how these people are detained like animals in overcrowded detention centre with so many others who have been arrested from their transit lodging places.  There were several among these who have already been recognised as genuine refugees by UNHCR and waited even for years for a country to accept them. 

Then on Tuesday 6th October, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Canberra made an allegation that many of the Tamil youth detained in Christmas Island are ex-LTTE fighters and you categorically denied that allegation.  The Sri Lankan High Commissioner said in the same interview that Tamils in Sri Lanka are not persecuted. When I was interviewed by the reporter I rebuffed this blatant lie by pointing out the appalling treatment of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka that included disappearances, indiscriminate killings and detention of innocent Tamil civilians under appalling conditions.

On the same day The Daily Telegraph stated that “TAXPAYERS are funding a secret war against illegal immigration using street theatre, banners and church notices to stem the boatpeople flow from Sri Lanka”. This paper further revealed that advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi has been working on the campaign since May.

Knowing very well that the people smugglers have refined their illegal methods of smuggling people using more than one transit point on their way to Australia, Tamils who are fleeing Sri Lanka for their lives will be more convinced now than ever before that they can reach a safer destination with less risk.  There is now more evidence  emerging from Sri Lanka that young Tamils are facing the danger of being extrajudicially eliminated by the security forces and paramilitaries. This makes it unsafe for the potential boat people to gather in public places to watch the Saatchi & Saatchi’s street theatre.  Street theatre is a very popular tool used very effectively in the south of Sri Lanka amongst the Sinhala people to distract their attention from real economic and political problems.  

Therefore AFTA strongly believes that the Australian TAXPAYERS’ money spent on Saatchi & Saatchi will only serve to distract the Sri Lankan general public (mainly Sinhalese) from the serious economic problems they are facing, particularly when the Presidential and Parliamentary elections are around the corner, than to serve its intended purpose. 

The Daily Telegraph also revealed that the Australian Intelligence Agencies warned the Government to expect a surge in asylum seekers and that they forecast the wave of illegal immigration to Australia will not slow down.  This further supports AFTA’s above argument.

AFTA would like to suggest to the Minister that the following actions only could stem the flow of Tamil boatpeople from Sri Lanka:

If the Tamils in Sri Lanka are able to live with freedom, dignity, safety and prosperity in Sri Lanka, they need not take a boat to come to Australia or to go anywhere else. Australia should take every diplomatic effort on its own right and collectively with other democratic nations to remove this fundamental cause rather than paying Saatchi & Saatchi the TAXPAYERS’ money and try to treat the symptom. The historical friendly bilateral relationship that prevails between the two countries should not stop Australia from being proactive on this matter. To date Australia has failed to demonstrate to the Australian public that they have attempted to do anything positive towards this end.

By accepting UNHCR recognised genuine Tamil refugees languishing for years in Malaysia and Indonesia, Australia can prevent these people from being exploited by the people smugglers to take that risky boat journey illegally.  This also would encourage others to rely on the UNHCR system and wait in these countries until Australia or other countries accept them. Australia also should come forward to encourage other countries such as New Zealand, UK, Europe, US and Canada to accept these genuine refugees.

Considering the repeated concerns raised by the British and US Governments, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Asian Human Rights Commission etc and most recently the resolution passed at the UN Security Council that rape has been used as a weapon during the war with impunity in Sri Lanka, Australia should introduce a special humanitarian category of visa (like the one offered earlier -215) to process the genuinely affected Tamil people in Sri Lanka to migrate to Australia, as AFTA appealed to you previously through our letters of 1st and 20th July 2009 (copies attached).

AFTA Trusts that you will consider favourably the points raised in this letter 

Having met with our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Stephen Smith last month and had a very useful discussion in person, I humbly request for an early appointment for an AFTA delegation to meet with you in person to constructively engage the Australian Tamil community on immigration issues, 

Thank you in anticipation of a favourable response from you.

Yours truly  

Dr. Raga Ragavan
Chairperson,

Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations Inc
Phone: 0402 387 920
9 October 2009

Copy to: Minister for Foreign Affairs