Tamil Solidarity : info@tamilsolidarity.org
Email Des Browne MP: browned@parliament.uk
Telephone: 01563 520267
Fax: 01563 539439
Parliamentary Address:
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Appeal letter : Refugees are also human beings
As a result of the brutal attacks and human rights violations against the Tamil-speaking people in Sri Lanka a lot of people have lost their normal life, have lost their family, their relatives, their property and their right to education and more.
We, 254 people including children, pregnant women, the elderly and young men and women, are also a part of those people affected by the brutal war. We have suffered for years and in order to seek a better life on 1 October 2009 we embarked on a most dangerous sea journey to Australia, a country which has signed up on the UN refugee convention.
On 11 October 2009 our journey was intercepted by the Indonesian navy. Someone who claimed to be an officer from the Australian High Commission promised that he will talk to the Australian government regarding our fate and took us to Merak harbour on the island of Java. We informed them that we will not get off the boat until the Australian government grants us refugee status.
For the last month we have been waiting on the boat at sea with all sorts of difficulties and still we have not received any favourable outcome either from Australia or any country that respects human rights. The UNHCR, which is supposed to be an international organisation that looks after the plight of the refugees, has not only refused to recognise us as refugees, but has refused to treat us as human beings. This causes us immense suffering. We are also worried and afraid of the effect that the changes in the climate will have while we are still at sea.
The UNHCR must come to talk to us. We request that Australia or any other country grants us refuge. These are the basic things we demanded when we started a hunger strike. We gave up on the hunger strike when we were wrongly advised that this may be considered a threat. We do not intend to threaten anybody. All we demand is recognition of our plight and assistance. But we are not prepared to give up the fight for our rights.
Then we gathered and protested en masse which has been covered by the media around the world. But still we have been ignored. The hunger strike, the protest, everything we did has not brought us recognition from any country that genuinely respects human rights. Now we are writing this letter as another measure in the attempt to bring our plea to your attention.
We have no peace in our homeland. We have been refused our human rights and our children and young people have no future in our country. At least we want a better life for our children.
It is with great urgency that the UNHCR must come and meet us and listen to our plea. Remaining at sea, as the weather worsens, poses great danger and we plead with you that you consider our pathetic situation and that you take a favourable decision.