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| Sunday, 16 March 2003 |
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Accent on human smuggling by JAYAMPATHY JAYASINGHE Seventy experts from 38 countries, mostly from law enforcement agencies in Asia and Oceania, met in Colombo last week to discuss problems relating to human smuggling and trafficking and other related transnational crimes. Several key issues that emerged at the Ministerial Conference in Indonesia last year were taken up for discussion in Colombo. A series of proposals discussed in Colombo to curb human trafficking will be forwarded to the Ministerial Meeting to be held this April in Bali, Indonesia. Interior and Christian Affairs Minister, John Amaratunga, who inaugurated the Ad Hoc Experts Working Group 1 Conference, said that human smuggling was organised by criminal networks involved in trafficking of narcotics, fraud, money laundering, arms smuggling that had links with terrorist groups. The Minister said that Sri Lanka had given top priority to tackling this problem with the co-operation of other states. Several factors such as economy, internal conflict, poor governance and insecurity compelled people to migrate to other countries seeking greener pastures. Many had become innocent victims of big time smuggling racketeers who lured them with offers of jobs abroad, by paying their fare for the hazardous journey and many had died in the process. He said the tragedy of 400 people drowned in a vessel in 2001 was one glaring example. Loopholes in the existing laws had been tightened to prevent human smuggling, he said. Meanwhile 52 persons who were engaged in human smuggling had been arrested and prosecuted by the police last year. Several attempts to smuggle people out of the country had been thwarted in the high seas due to intensive surveillance by the navy along the coastal region. Sharing of information in respect of human smuggling, facilitating the return of those persons who have no legal authority to remain in foreign countries, conducting public awareness campaigns are some of the issues that were discussed in Colombo. The Experts Working Group 1 meeting was organised by the International Organisation for Migrants (IOM) based in New Zealand with John Hayes of the New Zealand Foreign Ministry acting as the chief co-ordinator. Several countries including Afghanistan, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan , Kirbati, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Island, Sri Lanka, Switzerland , Syria, Thailand, Timor, Turkey, Vanuata and Vietnam participated in Colombo. |
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