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Deported asylum seekers face abuse on return to Sri Lanka

Asylum seekers who were deported by Australia after their boat came into difficulty at sea as they fled Sri Lanka, have faced abuse with beatings and interrogations on return, the Guardian newspaper reports.

The group of 41 asylum seekers, including children, were taken to a Sri Lankan navy camp, where almost 100 Criminal Investigation Division (CID) officials were waiting for them the newspaper reported.

The four Tamil asylum seekers were separated from the rest of the group who were Sinhalese, before being beaten by officers accusing them of supporting the LTTE.

One Tamil man told the Guardian that officers arrived at his family home, interrogating his wife and 14 year old son about his whereabouts, after he was forced to give up the address following his ordeal in detention.

See more on the abuse of the asylum seekers here.

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