SUARAM has received disturbing information that
personnel from the Sri Lankan Embassy were at Pekan Nenas Immigration
Detention Centre in Johor today. Four representatives from the Sri
Lankan Embassy, including the Deputy High Commissioner, arrived at the
detention centre at around 11.30am and they were forcing a group of Sri
Lankan refugees to sign agreements for repatriation. The refugees
refused to sign the agreements and the embassy personnel assaulted them
by beating and kicking them to force them to sign the agreement.
(Source: FORUM-ASIA member SUARAM, 20 October 2009)
SUARAM has received disturbing information that
personnel from the Sri Lankan Embassy were at Pekan Nenas Immigration
Detention Centre in Johor today. Four representatives from the Sri
Lankan Embassy, including the Deputy High Commissioner, arrived at the
detention centre at around 11.30am and they were forcing a group of Sri
Lankan refugees to sign agreements for repatriation. The refugees
refused to sign the agreements and the embassy personnel assaulted them
by beating and kicking them to force them to sign the agreement.

The
group being tortured by the Sri Lankan embassy personnel is part of a
larger group of 108 Sri Lankan UNHCR recognised refugees detained at
Pekan Nenas Immigration Detention Centre. Out of the 108 people, there
are 10 women and 10 children. One of the women is in her 8th month of pregnancy.

One
of the Sri Lankan women has been on a hunger strike since 13 October to
protest her detention as a UNHCR cardholder. Today, another 9 women and
5 men will join her in the hunger strike.

The
108 refugees are part of 122 Sri Lankans who were arrested on 8
September 2009 at a hotel in Johor. The 108 refugees were sent to Pekan
Nenas Immigration Detention Centre while the remaining 14 asylum
seekers who did not have UNHCR cards were sent to Simpang Renggam
Detention Centre. SUARAM has been told that the 122 Sri Lankans were
initially living in Kuala Lumpur. They were approached by agents who
promised them jobs in Johor Bahru in exchange for a fee.

In
addition, SUARAM was informed that the Immigration Department denied
SUHAKAM access into KLIA Immigration Detention Centre today. SUHAKAM
was there to investigate into a complaint regarding the detention of
207 Sri Lankan asylum seekers and UNHCR recognised refugees.
SUARAM highly condemns the Sri Lankan Embassy for assaulting the refugees and forcing them to sign agreements for repatriation.

We
also condemn the Malaysian Government for being an accomplice in the
human rights violation by allowing the Sri Lankan Embassy to have
access to UNHCR recognised refugees in the detention centre.

We demand that the Malaysian Government fully respects the
international customary law of non-refoulement, which prohibits the
return of people to places where they may face persecution or threats
to their life or freedoms.

We
demand that the 108 Sri Lankan refugees and all other UNHCR recognised
refugees are released into UNHCR's official care immediately. We also
call upon the Malaysian Government to ensure that that all law
enforcement agencies (in particular RELA, Police and Immigration)
respect UNHCR documents and refrain from arresting holders of these
documents.

Finally, we call upon the
Immigration Department to allow SUHAKAM and UNHCR free and full access
to immigration detention centres.