Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Mujibur Rahman has written to President Anura Dissanayake requesting that the government halt the decision to deport 103 Rohingya refugees rescued from the Mullaitivu coast on December 19.
He points out that returning the group of refugees, which includes about 40 children, to Myanmar would put their lives at risk. He also points out that forcibly sending them to Myanmar violates international non-refoulement principles that prohibit sending people to a country facing threats.
He urges the President to demonstrate Sri Lanka’s commitment to human rights and communal harmony by ensuring the safety of the refugees until they can be resettled in a safe country.