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Switzerland:Tamil refugees to be deported

01 January 1994

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The Swiss and Sri Lanka governments signed an agreement on 12 January 1994 to ensure the return of rejected Tamil asylum- seekers to Sri Lanka. First to be targeted for forcible return under the agreement are those who arrived recently in the country. Long-standing residents may still be granted residence permits on compassionate grounds. But the agreement provides for the return to the south of Sri Lanka of all who previously lived there or who have any sort of contact there, and anyone else who the Swiss authorities believe can reasonably live there. It is likely that LTTE members and sympathisers will be exempted from the return programme. Those selected for deportation can be held in temporary holding centres.

Anti-racist and refugee support groups are extremely concerned about the new agreement, which they fear will set a precedent for other European countries to follow.

Komittee Schluss mit dem Schnuffelstaat, Bern, Switzerland.

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