Attachments
Description of the Event
What happened, where and when?
Several boats reportedly set off from Bangladesh between 25-27 November 2022, carrying displaced people from Rakhine, Myanmar. Based on previous movements and established routes, it is assumed that the intended destination was either Malaysia or Indonesia.
According to UNHCR, a boat carrying 105 people was rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy in Trincomalee harbour on the country's eastern coast, on 18 December and disembarked on 20 December. When the boat ran into engine trouble in rough seas, it was suspected that it was on its way to Indonesia. The Sri Lanka Navy first detected the boat when it was 3.5 nautical miles (6.5km) from the shore. After the legal proceedings, they were transferred to Jaffna Prison in the country's north. According to Sri Lanka's immigration officials, the arrivals were transferred to an immigration detention camp in the Colombo suburbs on 22 December 2022.
Following a field assessment by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS)/International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) team, it has been confirmed that the Sri Lanka Navy has received 105 displaced people from Rakhine, Myanmar, including 49 children (21 girls, 28 boys) and 56 adults (26 females, 30 males). Furthermore, 21 unaccompanied children (8 boys, 13 girls) and 1 elderly person (68 years) were identified among the arrivals, but no person with disability (PWD) was identified. Due to their deteriorating health, three of the arrivals (2 children, 1 woman) were admitted to the hospital. The language barrier has been identified as the most significant barrier to communicating with the displaced people in order to comprehend the situation. A total of 22 children, including all unaccompanied children, were housed at the immigration detention camp at Welisara in the Gampaha district, about 12km from Colombo city. The remaining people were housed at the Mirihana detention camp in the Colombo district, about 7km from the Colombo city centre.
Note:
(1) Displaced people: The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement uses the expression ‘displaced people from Rakhine, Myanmar’ in place of "Rohingya" in all external communications, as an element in maintaining safety and operational access to provide vital humanitarian assistance to those in need wherever they are.
(2) Migrants: The Movement uses a deliberately broad description in order to capture the full extent of humanitarian concerns related to migration. “A migrant is a person who leaves or flees their habitual residence to go to new places – usually abroad – to seek opportunities or safer and better prospects. Migration can be voluntary or involuntary, but most of the time a combination of choices and constraints are involved.” Thus, this includes migrant workers, stateless migrants, and migrants deemed irregular by public authorities, among others. It also concerns refugees and asylum seekers, notwithstanding the fact that they constitute a special category under international law.
(3) Refugees: Any person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his/her nationality and is unable, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country.
Scope and Scale
SLRCS has been actively responding and providing humanitarian assistance to 105 Rohingya refugees who arrived in Sri Lanka in December 2022. As of 22 March 2023, out of 105 migrants 78 have already moved to rental houses (currently 77 living there as one man passed away due to a critical health condition) in the Colombo district and 26 are yet to relocate soon in rental houses in the Colombo district Currently they are in the detention centre of the immigration and emigration department of the Government. One more person is being held in a prison facility in Jaffna, pending the outcome of a criminal charge against him. The UNHCR and Government have already identified the houses, and the agreement with the house owner and UNHCR implementing partner (Muslim Aid) is under process. According to UNHCR and the Sri Lanka Government, by end of March 2023, latest first week of April, the remaining 26 migrants will be relocated in rental houses.
The 77 migrants have access to local communities though the language is a barrier to communicating with local people. There are a few migrants also living there who came in 2017 from Rakhine, Myanmar. They have learned English, and the local language and can communicate to the local people. These people are assisting the 77 migrants in communication, especially with health issues or any other social issues. All 77 migrants are living near to each other, therefore, can communicate with each other. The remaining 26 will join in to the same or nearby community.
UNHCR has planned to provide them with skills and language training so that they can communicate by themselves.
A one-year rental agreement has been made with the house owners and rent has been paid in advance each month.
Muslim Aid is coordinating this particular support.
The last 26 migrants will move to the rented housing provided by the UNHCR by the first week of April 2023, the shelter and housing items will be distributed to them by SLRCS during that period. Additionally with the savings, all 103 migrants will receive value vouchers from selected shops where they can purchase food and essential items including medicine, sanitary napkins, etc. SLRCS together with the national cash working group have been working on the minimum expenditure basket (MEB) of which the value of vouchers is determined (CHF20/pp). The migrants will also receive additional medical health check-up once they are moved to the rented housing, though, all the migrant's received health checkup while they were in the detention center.