The Sri Lankan government announced the opening of two new detention centres to house foreign asylum seekers, after it faced criticism from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for forcibly deporting refugees to Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Sri Lankan immigration officials announced the two new centres, in Boosa and Negombo, stating the present centre in Mirihana, Colombo was inadequate to deal with the growing number of Pakistani and Afghan nationals seeking refugee status.
Around 1,500 foreigners are thought to be seeking refuge in Sri Lanka, with a reported 60 Pakistanis being held in Boosa and a similar number of Afghan nationals in Negombo.
See more from the PTI here.
The Sri Lankan government has been accused of violating international law by the UNHRC, after it forcibly deported asylum seekers who may face persecution on their return. A Sri Lankan court ruling on Friday has extended an order suspending the deportation of Pakistani nationals from Sri Lanka. See more here.
See more in our earlier posts:
UNHCR accuses Sri Lanka of violating international law (13 August 2014)
Sri Lanka rejects UN Refugee Agency criticism (15 August 2014)
UNHCR “deeply concerned” at Sri Lanka’s deportation of Pakistani refugees (06 August 2014)