Lanka's boat people and the mafia link

An insight on Sri Lanka's famous asylum seekers who attempt to flee to developed countries with hopes of leading a better life elsewhere. These people cannot be blamed. With no stable jobs and an unstable economy, a very bleak future lies ahead of them. Although hundreds of Sri Lankans have died in their attempts to flee to countries such as Italy and Australia, this does not stop the many others who are still waiting even though a large number have been unsuccessful in their attempts and had been deported back home.

Sri Lanka has always boasted of having some of the best beaches in the world, but it somehow seems that in every coastal destination in the country there seems to be a dark story waiting to come out.
This week, I travelled to Negombo with my team. It was to explore a story which had been reported in the media several times in the recent past - a look at Sri Lanka's famous asylum seekers who had attempted to flee to developed countries but had only been unsuccessful in their attempts and had been deported back home.

Not revealing that we were journalists in our hunt for the story, we were met by a past 'organizer' in Negombo who had at one time been involved in fleeing people by boat illegally to countries such as Italy and Australia. However this organizer had been arrested a few years ago by the authorities and had been released after a presidential pardon. The government at that time had been led by former President, Chandrika Kumaratunga. Since then he leads a decent life.

Mafia involvement in human smuggling
Raja (name changed) had been in the human smuggling business for over five years. He had owned a sturdy boat at that time and had made a good sum charging per passenger Rs.250,000 to flee.
Taking us onboard the boat he now owns, Raja said that human smuggling was risky but since there were 'contacts' in the international waters, the job was possible.
These 'contacts' he later told us was the involvement of a mafia group in the international seas who were ready to assist the people through countries such as Egypt without being spotted by the Navy. This mafia had links with smugglers from countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Raja told us that although he was not in the business anymore, there were still many others involved in Sri Lanka and hundreds waiting to flee illegally by boat, all at a sum of Rs.250,000. He said the business was a 'booming industry'.
To get a deeper insight into the story, my team and I drove into Chilaw, as we had located some people who had tried to enter other countries illegally but had only been unsuccessful in their attempts.
This time, revealing that we were journalists who had come to listen to their story, we were met by Upul Sumith Kumara, who had fled Sri Lanka illegally a few years ago but had been caught by the international authorities and deported back home. Upul's destination had been Italy.
Living in a small house with his family, Upul earns his daily living by running a bakery close to his home. He says while he can provide the basic meals for his family, it is not enough to lead a good life.
From a young age, Upul had heard stories of his friends, who had fled to Italy, and were sending home lots of money so that their families could lead a better life. He was tempted by such stories and had built up courage to flee Sri Lanka so that he too could step on an overseas soil.

Upul's story
Upul's adventure took place a few years ago. Although his family was not happy at his decision, Upul's dreams to flee to Italy came true when one night one of his friends, Nimal, arrived at his home and asked Upul whether he wanted to flee on his boat.
Nimal had told Upual that he had gathered a group of 11 people and they could leave within days. He had offered to smuggle Upul to Italy at a reduced sum of Rs.150,000.
Upul had agreed and had paid him the sum. He had then been given a departure date and had been told to prepare for the rough journey ahead.

Bidding his family goodbye, Upul and the 11 others set off for Negombo on their departure day, not knowing what lay ahead. That day, they had waited in Negombo till the sun had set and were finally taken to their escape point.
It was dark and Nimal and the 11 others were rounded up in a small boat. Never having travelled in a boat for more than a day, Upul was nervous and did not know if he would ever see his country again. "I had tears in my eyes. I was nervous and afraid. I did not know if I would ever see my family or country again," Upul said.
Upul adds that when they were loaded onto the boat that night, they were helped by some 'authorities' who were also present to smuggle this group out of the island.
Seated in the dark, clutching his tiny bag near him, Upul sat silently with the rest of the group. They were taken into mid sea where two bigger boats waited for them. In the dark, Upul and his group were transferred onto one of the bigger boats and were told to remain quiet so that they would not be spotted.
When dawn broke out, Upul was in the deep seas. It was then that he realized that instead of the 11 people that Nimal had promised to take, there were 121 people on board his boat. There was an equally crowded boat which followed behind. They were all going to Italy.
"When I saw so many people on the boat I became afraid. We hardly had space to move. The nights were the worst, because we could not even stretch our legs. It was as if we were breathing on each other," Upul said.

Drama in the Cairo seas
Suffering from sea sickness, Upul's journey in the mid seas continued. When they entered the Indian waters, Upul and his group had been told to be extremely cautious. They could speak to each other by barely whispering. Passing the Indian waters in nervousness in the dark, Upul and his group were finally relieved when they were told by the organizers that they were safe.
Weeks had passed and Upul did not know where he was heading to. Food and water was scarce on the boat. All what lay in front of them was water. They could not see land anywhere.
After roughly 50 days at sea, Upul and his group finally reached Cairo in Egypt. The two boats parked mid sea and everyone was warned not to leave the boat. However at the sight of land, Upul and some other members aboard jumped into the water and swam to a nearby sand bund. "I was so happy when I reached the bund. Our bodies had become stiff. It was like paradise just to sleep on the sand," he said.
However danger was everywhere. The organizers aboard had realized that Upul and a few others swam away and had immediately signalled them to get back on board. They had taken a dangerous risk by setting foot on Egyptian soil without a visa.
After being parked in Cairo for two days filling fuel and stocking their boats with food and water, Upul began his journey into the mid seas again, this time in broad daylight. A big question mark arose in everyone's mind. How would they pass the Egyptian waters without being spotted by the Egyptian Navy during the day.
However Upul and the other passengers seemed to have taken the organizers for granted because what they were about to see shocked them.
Waiting for them in the mid seas, in small boats was a mafia group who were waiting to escort the two boats to pass the Suez canal safely. It was then that everyone realized that smuggling into other countries illegally was an international racket with the mafia involved.
Upul said that the mafia had contacts with the Egyptian Navy which is why the two boats had passed the Navy without any issues. The mafia boats had then escorted them safely via the Canal and had turned back when they were safe.

Caught in Italy
For seven more days Upul and his group sailed in the mid seas. However a week after they had left the Egyptian waters, Upul finally saw what he had been waiting to see his entire life - Italy. "I did not have words to describe how happy I was. It was as if everything would be ok," Upul said.
However he was wrong. The most dangerous part of his journey had just begun, to sneak into Italy without being caught by the Italian authorities.
It was dark when the two boats slowly got to shore. Upul was the first to get off. After stepping on Italian land safely, Upul and the rest of his group changed their clothes, took their belongings and started walking, not knowing where to go.
The fortunate ones had known people in Italy who had been waiting for them to arrive. But those who were strangers to the country had no option but to walk, hoping that they would not be caught.
As dawn broke, Upul and the rest saw a train passing by. While a few decided to jump onto the train, others hesitated, fearing that they would get caught because they did not have train tickets. Many however jumped onto the train while the others just stood watching.
Minutes later, while Upul and the rest were figuring out where to go, several police cars pulled up to them. Shocked, they knew they had been caught. Someone had given a tip to the Italian police that a group of illegal immigrants had arrived.
Within seconds, helicopters were also circling above and had stopped the train in which the others had jumped onto. They were all caught and arrested.
"I just stood numb, not knowing what to do. I was weak, tired and afraid. When we saw the police cars pulling up, I heard someone screaming saying 'run'. But I was too tired and stood still, fearing that they would shoot me," Upul said.
After nearly 60 days at sea, Upul and his group of around 200 illegal immigrants were arrested on Italian soil. Taken to a camp and detained, they were helped by the Red Cross who provided them with clothes and food.
After several days in detention, Upul was finally deported back to Sri Lanka after the Sri Lankan government intervened and informed the Italian authorities to deport the asylum seekers back home. Even while in detention, Upul said that he hoped to get a visa but his dreams had been shattered and he had been returned back home without a penny in his hand.

Deported back home
When Upul was boarded onto a flight, the only thing he was still clutching close to him was his tiny bag instead of the money and the good life he had dreamt of. With tears in his eyes, he was returning home to an empty life. "Before I climbed onto the flight that day, I touched the Italian soil and promised myself that someday I would return. I will someday go back," Upul said.

Upul and his group were deported back and immediately arrested by the Sri Lankan authorities at the Bandaranaike International Airport. After spending days in jail, he was lucky to get a presidential pardon and set free. He returned back to his family and bakery which he still owns.
While Upul's dreams were shattered, there are many Sri Lankans who are still attempting to flee illegally to other countries despite the many risks involved. With hopes of leading a better life elsewhere, these people cannot be blamed. With no stable jobs and an unstable economy, a very bleak future lies ahead of them.
Although hundreds of Sri Lankans have died in their attempts to flee to countries such as Italy and Australia, this does not stop the many others who are still waiting to flee. Their only dream they now say, is to start a new life in a country which can offer them better.

Uncertain future awaits babies born in detention
With his mother's eyes and father's thick hair, Risen is among babies recently born into immigration detention to couples seeking asylum.
His Sri Lankan parents are held at Sydney's Villawood detention centre, after arriving at Christmas Island by boat a year ago.Risen's father is elated to be a new dad but is devastated to lack the autonomy to properly care for his child. ''Even (though) I'm a father, I cannot give my own money to buy food for him. It's very pitiful and very sad for me," he told The Age.

Navy maintains tight security
Speaking to Daily Mirror online, Navy Spokesman Captain Athula Senarath said that the Navy was continuing its surveillance around the coastal lines of Sri Lanka and security remained tight.
Captain Senarath said that due to the tight security maintained in the waters, the Navy arrested some boats last November which had many asylum seekers who were trying to flee overseas. However he said that the Navy's focus was not only monitoring boats with asylum seekers as the Navy had in the recent months also arrested some people who had also been a threat to natural resources and marine life.

Captain Senarath reiterated that if there was any illegal movement in the waters, they would be arrested immediately.
When questioned if there was an increase in asylum seekers, the Navy spokesman said that they had not received any such recent reports of an increase, and surveillance was continuing as normal.

Source:http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/component/content/article/131-news-features/4183-lankas-boat-people-and-the-mafia-link.html