Sri Lanka: Information on the human rights situation for Tamils in Akurna, 75 miles from Colombo, and on whether the area is under government or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) control
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA23756.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: Information on the human rights situation for Tamils in Akurna, 75 miles from Colombo, and on whether the area is under government or Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) control, 1 April 1996, LKA23756.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab6228.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
References to Akurna in Sri Lanka could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. However Hildebrand's Travel Map Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Maldive Islands places a town called Akurana about 10 miles north of Kandy, in the centre of Sri Lanka, and about 70 miles from Colombo (nd). According to a map published in Courrier International, the territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) falls to the north of this area, with the demarcation line running roughly from Trincomalee in the east to Vavuniya in the north and then dipping south again towards the west coast (15-21 Feb. 1996; please see the Courrier International attachment for more information). A Sri Lanka specialist with the US Committee for Refugees (USCR) in Washington, DC also stated that the area around Kandy is controlled by the government (30 Apr. 1996). It might also be of note that on 8 April 1996 the Sri Lankan government extended to the whole country the state of emergency that previously had only been present in the north and eastern parts (Libération 9 Apr. 1996; IPS 10 Apr. 1996).
According to the Sri Lanka specialist with the USCR, many of the Tamils in the Kandy area are Plantation or Indian Tamils (30 Apr. 1996.; please also see Response to Information Request LKA18407.E of 6 Sept. 1994 for further information). According to a 25 January 1994 United Nations Report, Indian or Plantation or Estate Tamils make up about 31 per cent of the Tamil population of Sri lanka, are "descendants of labourers brought from southern India under British rule to work on coffee, tea and rubber plantations", and live mainly in the hill country in the centre of Sri Lanka. According to Country Reports 1995,
There are approximately 1 million Tamils of comparatively recent Indian origin living in Sri Lanka. About 85,000 of these people do not qualify for either Indian or Sri Lankan citizenship and face discrimination, especially in the allocation of government funds for education. However, the Government has stated that none of these people will be forced to depart the country (14 Mar. 1996).
For more background information on Plantation or Indian Tamils, please refer to the attached Reuters article from 16 December 1995, and to two DIRB Question and Answer Series papers, Sri Lanka: Internal Flight Alternatives, December 1992, page 12, and Sri Lanka: Internal Flight AlternativesAn Update, March 1995, page 3, available at Regional Documentation Centres. Additional documents on the current situation in Sri lanka can also be found at Regional Documentation Centres.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1995. 14 March 1996. Washington, D.C. (Diskette version provided to DIRB by the Immigration and Naturalization Service Resource Information Center)
Courrier International [Paris]. 15-21 February 1996. "Zone sous le contrôle des Tigres de libération de l'Eelam tammoul (LTTE)." (maptitle provided). (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 5 Mar. 1996, Vol.11, No. 8)
Inter Press Service (IPS). 10 April 1996. Kunda Dixit. "Sri Lanka: Postponed Polls, Power Cuts and Endless War." (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 23 Apr. 1996, Vol. 11, No. 15)
Libération [Paris]. 9 April 1996. "Etat d'urgence au Sri Lanka." (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 23 Apr. 1996, Vol. 11, No. 15)
Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Maldive Islands. Hildebrand's Travel Map. n.d. Germany: Karto+Grafik.
United Nations. Economic and Social Council. 25 January 1994. (E/CN.4/1994/44/Add.1). Commission on Human Rights. Fiftieth Session. Further Promotion and Encouragement of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Including the Question of the Programme and Methods of Work of the Commission. Human Rights, Mass Exoduses and Displaced Persons. Internally Displaced Persons. Report of the Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Francis Deng, Submitted Pursuant to Commission on Human Rights Resolution 1993/95. Addendum: Profile in Displacement: Sri Lanka. (UNHCR RefWorld)
US Committee for Refugees (USCR), Washington, DC. 30 April 1996. Telephone interview with a specialist on Sri Lanka.
Attachments
Courrier International [Paris]. 15-21 February 1996. "Zone sous le contrôle des Tigres de libération de l'Eelam tammoul (LTTE)." (maptitle provided). (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 5 Mar. 1996, Vol.11, No. 8)
Libération [Paris]. 9 April 1996. "Etat d'urgence au Sri Lanka." (DIRB Indexed Media Review [Ottawa], 23 Apr. 1996, Vol. 11, No. 15)
Reuters. 16 December 1995. Mohan Samarasinghe. "Plantation Tamils May Give Sri Lanka New Headache." (Internet: Sri Lanka Net; URL: [email protected])
