UK grants ‘third country’ asylum for two Sri Lankans following suicide attempts

Two Sri Lankan asylum seekers who were transferred to Rwanda earlier this month after attempting suicide on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia were approved by UK authorities on Thursday to receive asylum in a third country.

Documents notifying the man and woman of the decision, which The New Humanitarian has reviewed, say they will not be returned to Sri Lanka, where they fear persecution by the government. A third country for resettlement has not yet been identified, however.

The two asylum seekers, Hamshika Krishnamoorthi, 22, and Ajith Sajithkumar, 22, were among the first 89 Tamil asylum seekers to arrive on Diego Garcia in October 2021. Their boat broke down near the island, and they were rescued by British forces.

The numbers of Sri Lankan asylum seekers swelled to nearly 200 in 2022, but many either accepted payments from the UK to return to Sri Lanka or voluntarily left by boat to seek asylum on the French island of Réunion.

Of the remaining 68 asylum seekers, many say they were tortured and sexually abused by Sri Lankan security forces for alleged links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – a separatist group that fought for independence during a 26-year-civil war against the Sinhalese-dominated Sri Lankan government.

While more than 50 people have had their asylum claims assessed by UK officials on the island, most have been rejected. Their rejection letters include the line: “A removal order will be issued for your return to Sri Lanka.”

“I am very happy, but at the same time, worried about how much longer it will be,” Krishnamoorthi told The New Humanitarian via WhatsApp from the Rwanda Military Hospital in the Rwandan capital, Kigali.

Geeth Kulasegaram, a senior legal adviser at London-based Jein Solicitors who represents the two asylum seekers, said he is seeking a stay order from a judge in the UK to prevent his clients from being brought back to Diego Garcia.He said the opinions of medical experts in Rwanda were instrumental in securing asylum for his clients.

“We had already submitted strong medical evidence for both [clients], warning the BIOT [authorities] that they are suffering from serious mental health issues and [are] at high risk of suicide,” he told The New Humanitarian via WhatsApp. “Initially, the BIOT did not appear to have considered them properly or [with] enough weight. However…the doctors in Rwanda also confirmed the same, which must have left the BIOT with no choice.”

“I’m hopeful that this will have a positive impact on other cases in Diego Garcia,” he added. – The New Humanitarian