Sri Lanka: New heaven for asylum seekers
[March 04 2011]

<P>Omar Rajarathnam


<P>The number of asylum seekers from neighbouring South East Asian countries have risen, the Department of Immigration and Emigration official said.

<P>"Citizens from over 78 countries are currently entitled for visas to enter the country on arrival. The asylum seekers can use this avenue to enter the country and seek refuge. But controls are in place to ensure that these entrants are not of high risk to the country”, he said.

<P>According to the official, the current pace of development in the country in the post conflict might be one of the main attractions to seek refuge in Sri Lanka. 

<P>(Sunday Observer Online)