Detained asylum-seekers’ spokesman ‘Alex’ a smuggler: Sri Lankan Govt.
November 7th, 2009 - 5:35 pm ICT by ANI
Sydney, Nov 7(ANI): The Sri Lankan Government has said that the leader of a boatload of asylum-seekers held in Indonesia on their way to Australia, Alex, is a known people-smuggler, who had been previously deported from Canada.
Alex is the spokesman for 255 Sri Lankans, whose boat was detained last month and they remain moored at the port of Merak in Java.
“Alex, who led an abortive hunger strike demanding that those on board the boat be granted refugee status, was expelled from Canada in 2003,” The Australian quoted a Sri Lankan statement, as saying.”Alex had been involved in human-smuggling for a long time and it is believed that his office is based in India. His brother, who is now in Canada, is also involved in human-smuggling and is being sought by Canadian police,” the statement added.
Earlier, the Australian Government had said that another known smuggler, Abraham Lauhenaspessy, known as “Captain Bram”, had also been found on the boat.The revelation comes ahead of an expected meeting this week between Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s trouble-shooter on asylum-seekers, John McCarthy, and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
McCarthy will arrive in Colombo on Monday for a series of talks for solution to the refugee crisis. (ANI)
- Canada to curb illegal migrants before they depart for Canada - Aug 15, 2010
- Tamils want refugee centre in SE Asia to stop human smuggling - Nov 05, 2010
- Canada hints LTTE behind human-smuggling ship - Aug 14, 2010
- Australia hires ad agency to battle illegal immigration - Oct 06, 2009
- Tamil Tigers' entry into Canada feared - Aug 12, 2010
- Sri Lanka detains 113 on way to Australia - May 28, 2012
- Sri Lankan Tamil held in Canada for war crimes - Nov 04, 2010
- Indonesia plans to send detained Sri Lankan asylum seekers home - Nov 16, 2009
- Canada monitoring second shipload of Sri Lankan migrants to country - Oct 18, 2010
- Tamil women begin new hunger strike off Indonesian coast - Nov 09, 2009
- Australian Government defers processing of Sri Lankan, Afghan asylum claims - Apr 09, 2010
- Canadian Navy boards Tamil refugee ship, some expected to be LTTE members - Aug 13, 2010
- Canada cracks down on human smugglers - Oct 22, 2010
- Pakistan was world's 8th largest asylum-seeker in 2010 - Apr 01, 2011
- Seven kids among dead in Australia boat capsize (Lead) - Dec 16, 2010
Tags: asylum seekers, australian prime minister, boatload, canadian police, human smuggling, hunger strike, john mccarthy, kevin rudd, mahinda rajapaksa, merak, president mahinda rajapaksa, refugee crisis, refugee status, smuggler, sri lankan government, sri lankan govt, sri lankan president, sri lankans, sydney nov, trouble shooter