
Sri Lankan civil society groups and activists are rallying to prevent the deportation of over 100 Rohingya refugees rescued off Mullaitivu’s coast on 9th of December 2024.
Among the group are more than two dozen children, now housed at the Keppapulavu Air Force base, but protesters demand their relocation to a facility under civil administration.
Activists have criticized the government’s plan, announced by Minister Ananda Wijepala, to repatriate the refugees to Myanmar, calling it a violation of international humanitarian principles.
Social activist Thasneema Dahlan emphasized that sending the Rohingya back would mean returning them to persecution, as the UN has described them as “the world’s most persecuted minority.”
The Rohingya have faced decades of oppression in Myanmar, with over 730,000 fleeing a genocidal military crackdown in 2017, and many now risk perilous sea crossings to escape worsening conditions.
Human rights advocate Ruki Fernando urged Sri Lanka to honor its legal and moral obligations, citing the principle of non-refoulement and the country’s own history of harboring refugees during its civil war.
Protests in Colombo and Mullaitivu have called for transparency and access for aid agencies like the UNHCR, which activists claim have been barred from meeting the refugees.
The North-East Coordinating Committee stated that sheltering refugees under military control contradicts humanitarian norms, urging the government to protect the group rather than deport them.