Asylum Seekers And Their Search For A Life
By Dinouk Colombage
Children are often sent off on their own by their parents in hope that they will find a better life. (Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald) and Dropped off on Australian shores, the asylum seekers face an uncertain future. (Courtesy Sydney Morning Herald)
The sharp rise in the number of asylum seekers from Sri Lanka attempting to reach Australia is due to poor living conditions, lack of job opportunities and a yearning to be reunited with family members, according to Sarah Hudson (psychologist with the Australian Red Cross).
Hudson, who has been working with the refugees on Christmas Island in Australia for the last two years, explained that many of the asylum seekers who arrived by boat had chosen to risk their lives on the journey for a range of reasons. “They are desperate, they feel they have no future back in Sri Lanka and so they have looked to alternatives,” she said.
She went on to explain that many of the boat people had told the Australian authorities that the deteriorating standard of living that they are forced to endure back in Sri Lanka had forced them to seek a new home. “One group that I counselled a month ago told me that their houses were destroyed in the fighting. When they returned from the IDP camps they found their land barren and could not be worked on. After a year of struggling they sold what they could and fled the country. They said that the local authorities had not assisted them during that period, and so they gave up,” Hudson said.
She added that they were unaware of the situation in Australia, “They believe that there are jobs waiting for them over here. The sad fact of the matter is that many of them will be forced to remain in detention centres for close to a year. Even when they get out not many places will want to hire an asylum seeker. The future for these people is bleak.”
According to Hudson the boat people are terrified and do not know what is going to happen to them. “For the majority of the Sri Lankans I have counselled in the detention centre, they do not know what their future holds. They chose to come on this journey for numerous reasons, but many of them could not explain what their plans were upon arrival,” she said.
Of the total number of Sri Lankans who have made it across to Christmas Island, a small minority are children who have been sent on their own. “I have counselled several different children, all of whom were supposedly put on the boats by their parents. They have told me that their parents could not raise the money for all of them,” she said.
Hudson went on to say that these children have no family in Australia; often they hope that the Australian authorities will put them into foster care. “I can only imagine that the situation for those parents must be appalling for them to give up their children in that way. I have never been to Sri Lanka and am not interested in getting involved in politics, but clearly something must be done to help these people,” she said.
“In some cases, although they are not common, people have attempted to come across simply to join with their families. We have had about 15 such cases in the last three months. However, I do not believe that a family reunion would force them to risk their lives in this way,” Hudson explained.
Hudson said that when they arrive, many of them are sick and even injured. “The journey takes a lot out of them. They are sick from sea travel, while the dilapidated state of the vessels they arrive on often results in them being injured.”
“The asylum seekers are often mentally drained and require counselling before they can begin to rebuild their lives. It often takes a few weeks before they are communicative, even then they are hesitant to communicate,” she said.
Hudson denied that many of the asylum seekers had fled Sri Lanka in fear of their lives. “The majority have expressed disappointment that even though the war is over their lives have not improved. They said they were happy when the fighting ended, but three years on they are struggling to rebuild their lives.”
While the Australian authorities are struggling to understand the sudden increase in the number of asylum seekers, in Sri Lanka the government seems reliant only on the police and navy to stop them. While the navy and police are struggling to contain the rise in human smuggling, there does not appear to be any separate government department looking into the causes behind it.
While the main reason behind the asylum seekers fleeing to Australia is economic hardship, the government earnestly believes that stopping the boats will solve the issue.
A young lady, with dual degrees from the University of Colombo and Sri J., and who worked at Virtusa and BT telecom in India, obtained visas (along with her husband, who is also an IT qualified person) to go to Australia. They have been languishing in Sidney for nearly and year without work.
If the Australians and other Western nations are so concerned, they should set-up a immigration center in the East and the North, prepare them for the Australian society and send them, in State sponsored ships or flights to Australia.. Alternatively, spend funds to build homes, rehab damaged water channels and village tanks, rehab agro and fisheries industries, build and equip hospitals etrc etc. Will they do that?! NO, they merely sit back and villify.
There is no future in SL for anyone, not just Tamils. Everyone is suffering. Third world living conditions, no basic human needs like food, shelter. There is poverty everywhere, corruption, murder, rape and the list goes on. No wonder people are risking their lives to move to a wealthy, peaceful life in a first world paradise country like Australia. I cannot risk my life, that is why I have to suffer in this damn hole called SL.
Australian government spend a lot of money on these people. A fraction of that if spent in the areas they lived under the supervision of the Australian High Commission in Colombo to improve their lives and for them to engage in some vocation I feel that may arrest the situation to some extent.
Ram
THE RAJAPAKSA GOVERNMENT SAY’S ” SRI LANKA IS PARADISE ISLAND,
IT IS ASIA’S MIRACLE”. THEN HOW COME THOUSANDS OF SRI LANKAN’S
ARE FLEEING THIS ISLAND IN FISHING BOATS & ARE WILLING TO
DROWN & DIE IN THE OCEAN , IN THE HOPE OF REACHING AUSTRALIA,
RATHER THAN LIVE IN THIS PARADISE ISLAND OF THE RAJAPAKSA CRIMINAL GANG ??
cedric
When are you taking the boat ?
You seem to have very little head! You preach what others in the media say.
Please make a bit of investigation:
Why people l come to Australia?
I came to Australia in 1990, after showing my experience and waiting for the results over 12 months. (besides you have to score over 110 points bla bla )
This is a new method – All you have to say is “SL is a criminal country, you cannot live safely – you are in – PR then in next two years full citizenship – no pay, no waiting – you will be given help and others just like that. )
Why study for 12 years in SL and get degree to qualify?
Srilanka is not a dangerous country at all..we have freedom..these boat people are traveling to Australia because they think that Australian government welcome them like Italy government and give jobs.that is the problem.To prove that they are real asylum seekers these people create fake videos and fake stories..I am so sad to tell this.But they are betraying to their own country for their own success.we don’t have any problem in srilanka.useless people do foolish things to show our country is not a good place to live.hate those people and Australian government should take an action for this.legal migrants won’t get the chance to travel..But these idiots get permanent residence.
It is very sad to hear that parents are sending their children to be taken care by fostercare. There are many cases of child abuse and rape even in Australia. In the sixties and seventies these things were rarely heard in SL.However, it had been rampant in Australian institutions that is now coming to light. So there are bad people everywhere, the difference is that presently there are systems in place to deal with those unfortunate situations in Australia. SL seems to be going in the other direction. The government alone can’t do everything, and this iinternational isolation of sorts does not help SL. Hence, more people trying to leave is not surprising.
Srilanka is not a dangerous country at all..we have freedom..these boat people are traveling to Australia because they think that Australian government welcome them like Italy government and give jobs.that is the problem.To prove that they are real asylum seekers these people create fake videos and fake stories..I am so sad to tell this.But they are betraying to their own country for their own success.we don’t have any problem in srilanka.useless people do foolish things to show our country is not a good place to live.hate those people and Australian government should take an action for this.legal migrants won’t get the chance to travel..But these idiots get permanent residence.
If you say is true then why don’t you allow the international community to come and find out for themselves?
You prevent them investigating and call them LTTE supporters yet you accept them to believe you?
Unfortunate that you invited these countries into the conflict by purchasing arms from them and banning the LTTE which according to Sri lankan accounts is a domestic issue and therefore there is no need for international community to be involved with the LTTE.
As you made it an international problem claiming the LTTE was a threat to USA, UK and the rest of the world now they have a role in keeping tabs on what goes on in Sri lanka.
reporting from Germany, I have met a lanken guy last weekend who claimed to be new in Germany. I am a srilanken who has been living here for the last two decades Knowing the situation back in HOme country, I have the feeling our people still seem to be leaving home for better life. These countries have imposed new laws against the people from developing country who enter these soiils and just try to give some reasons to ask for asylum. Germanys basic laws is that anyone who puts the feet here and ask for asylum should be given that. Abusing this law by many like ones from SL, have now been made clear to the authorities. So the numbers now get in are much less. My question is what is the role of lanken consulates or embassies in this regard. It is their duty to imake clear german counterparts about the reality within the country today. Now there is a no war in SL, so no need anyone to leave the country – in that way, lanken authorities can repay for what these nations have paid during the times where war was really issue lankens to live the country for their escape. However, as one leading tamil WHO IS london based advacated lately – on a forum where RWije and BBCs stefan were in – most among the tamil refugees are so called asylum seekers, but their real cause is majority of lankens who become asylum seekers are economic refugees rather than war victims. Even americans or any others from first world also can claim to become refugees in Germany, France, Switzerland and other rich countries iIN Europe.
How many of these so called Tamil asylum seekers are genuine”Where they are coming from? Is anyone able to distinguish between non-terrorist Tamils and Tamil terrorists? Who can tell the difference between an Indian Tamil and a Sri Lankan Tamil? Most of these so called Tamil boat people are not Sri Lankan. These boats used to be operated as a business by one of the arms of the Tamil Tiger terrorists.. Some of these so-called boat people pay lots of money by pawning their jewellery and selling their property to get across to the West and Australia seeking greener pastures. Their main hub of this operation is not Sri Lanka – it is South India! The remnants of the ruthless Tamil Tiger terrorists also mingle amongst these “boat people” to escape capture and be tried for the atrocities committed against the Sri Lankan people. The West and Australia opens their doors and welcomes them with open arms without any scrutiny thus allowing these hardcore criminals to assimilate into their society. Its just likle Cuba emptying their prisons of their hardcore criminals and sending them in boatloads to USA – who finally end up in places like Miami. It will be just a matter of time until ythe West and Australia will experience the same consequences of their stupid mistakes. As for Sri Lanka, their riddance is now the liability of the West and Australia!