The risky ride to nowhere

By Maneshka Borham and Kishani Samaraweera

The month of March saw the foiling of the first attempt made by a group of 17 Sri Lankans to migrate through unlawful means to Australia by boat, this year.

Nauru, where many unlawful migrants are processed. (humanrights.gov.au)

In the pre- dawn hours March 5, the Sri Lankan naval crew onboard ship SLNS Samudura, apprehended a group of Sri Lankans in the seas 40 nautical miles off the Galle lighthouse, while heading towards Australia on a tip off received by intelligence personnel.

However, according to the government of Australia, it is now over 600 days since the last successful people smuggling venture reached Australia and over 830 days since the last known person died at sea while being smuggled to Australia, showing a rapid decrease in people smuggling.

According to Australian authorities, this is a result of the efforts of the Australian Government and the cooperation received from partner countries, including Sri Lanka. The people smuggling networks in the region targeting Australia have been severely degraded, and the willingness of potential illegal immigrants to board a people-smuggling venture is at an all-time low.

Year of risky rides

Year 2012 saw the highest number of boats with 51 and 3008 people being captured by the Sri Lanka Navy while trying to illegally emigrate to a number of countries, mainly heading towards Australia, but in 2015, a mere two boats ventured out in a failed attempt to smuggle people into other countries.

A boat captain from Ambalangoda, who is involved in human smuggling, speaking to the Sunday Observer on the basis of anonymity, confirmed the decline in the trend.

"The advertising campaign by the Australian Government and stringent steps by the Navy has been a huge hit to our business" he says adding that people are very reluctant now to make the perilous journey by sea. "We have had to now work on strategies to convince people," he says. According to him, working with a network of people they go in search for individuals who are in debt or in trouble.

"We then convince them the way out is to migrate through unlawful means," he says. However, what they do not tell many of their potential customers is that people are never taken to the shore of the country they wish to go to.

"For example, when we are close to the Italian shore, we ask the people in the boat to jump and swim to shore," he said.

Charging people a minimum of Rs.500,000 for the risky ride in the sea, he said, smugglers have to now take more safety measures such as bringing people from various areas through land routes to assembling points and take longer routes to reach the point of departure to shake off the navy, police and the coast guard.

According to him, a network of Sri Lankans in Indonesia helps smugglers for refuelling and supplies on the journey towards Australia and New Zealand, with Turkey being another hub where they get help in moving towards European countries.

Vigilant authorities

According to the Navy Spokesperson, Captain Akram Alavi, the Navy has a very vigilant intelligence network placed around the island for interception of boats leaving the shores of Sri Lanka. "We apprehend the suspects and hand them over to the CID which then takes further action against the apprehended individuals," he said.

Speaking to the Sunday Observer, head of the Criminal Investigations Department, Senior DIG Ravi Senevirathne said, the recent conference held in Sri Lanka on people smuggling mainly focused on maritime human smuggling in unsafe fishing vessels.

According to him, the CID through investigations has found nearly 400 facilitators and organizers along with top ranking syndicate leaders who are linked to people smuggling. "All these individuals were arrested and now are in custody," he said.

While Sri Lanka has stepped up its action against people smugglers, the Senor DIG said, there needs to be better co-ordination between all government agencies to combat the issue. "From arresting suspects to taking action against them, there needs to be a more cohesive approach," he said, adding that many legal barriers exist to this day.

He called for the strengthening of joint investigations in order to ensure human smuggling is tackled in a more organized manner.

However, despite severe action taken by all involved, still, attempts are made to reach countries through unlawful means, at grave risk to themselves.

According to Professor Lakshman Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo and Member of the Advisory body to the Australian government on Illegal Immigration people still take the risk as there is a culture of 'Migration' in Sri Lanka.

"They believe that migration brings fortune" he says adding that that is why despite warnings people are ready to spend money and take such a perilous journey in an unsafe boat.