Hundreds of Sri Lankans risk their lives to reach Australia
The country’s economic crisis is driving people into the hands of traffickers. The journey to the Australian coast can take up to 21 days, cost up US$ 4,000, and is full of dangers. Some of those who want to leave tell their story.
Colombo (AsiaNews) – Due to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, more than 300 Sri Lankans have tried to reach Australia by paying large sums of money to human traffickers.
The Sri Lankan Navy intercepted several fishing boats loaded with asylum seekers, but at least two boats managed to reach Australian waters.
AsiaNews contacted some people who have tried to leave the country, after they were informed by "agents" that "this is the best time to reach Australia safely" because the new Labour government "has relaxed the rules concerning border issues unlike the previous Liberal government.”
Despite TV news warning Sri Lankans against leaving the country illegally, Australia seems to have become a privileged destination for those who can afford to leave, even though the new Australian government has not changed its policy towards asylum seekers.
According to a senior Sri Lankan Navy official, the “people attempting to leave Sri Lanka are not poor; on the contrary, they are from a certain economic background since they paid thousands of dollars."
The officer emphasised that human traffickers are interested in profit “at the expense of others” unconcerned about “the safety of their passengers” because “the lives of these people are at risk during the journey.”
Without basic sanitation, adequate food, or drinking water, most passengers get sick during the crossing, which can last up to 21 days from Batticaloa, on the east coast of Sri Lanka, to Christmas Island, off Western Australia.
Silva, 40, a father of two, and Jeyaraj, 52, a father of three, are both fishermen from Trincomalee, on the east coast. In the past, their business did well, but now they cannot fish because of fuel shortages, and their children “are finding it difficulty to go to school because of transportation problems.”
So, "what else can we do in this situation? The only solution is to go to a better country like Australia," they told AsiaNews.
Pillai, 36, from Negombo, a shop owner, was preparing to leave with his wife when their "agent" informed them that the Australian government would not grant them "permanent residence,” but they might settle down after some time.
He was told that "this was the case of the Nadesalingam family", who left Sri Lanka a few years ago and were able to settle in Biloela, central Queensland, after a four-year legal battle that ended in June this year.
According to those who want to leave, the journey to Australia costs about one million Sri Lankan rupees, or about US$ 4,000. Some have borrowed from families and friends to pay the "boat owners".
In July, an Australian Border Force vessel intercepted a boat loaded with Sri Lankan migrants and escorted it to the port of Colombo, where it arrived last Friday. The boat carried 46 people from Valaichchenai, Batticaloa, Pasikuda, Ampara, Bibile, and Muthur.
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