Australia to block illegal migration at BIA

15 June 2011 05:44 pm Views - 6004

By Olindhi Jayasundere

The Australian High Commission said that it had undertaken measures to assign officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake to stop illegal immigration and people smuggling.

Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Kathy Klugman speaking to the Daily Mirror said that Sri Lanka and Australia have taken this step to detect and stop irregular movements from Sri Lanka.  “We have recently ramped up Australia’s presence at the international airport in Colombo, where we are working closely with Sri Lankan immigration and security officials to detect and stop irregular movements by air,” Klugman said.

She said countries in the region are working together to detect and prevent improperly documented passengers, facilitate the travel of genuine passengers and provide training to airline staff and relevant airport authorities for the purpose of preventing illegal migration.

In addition to attempting ventures by boat, many also seek to forge documents to facilitate travel by air, she said. Klugman said that for this reason regional countries have stepped up cooperation to detect immigration fraud and stop illegal air movements. 

“The reality is that people putting themselves in the hands of people smugglers are taking a huge risk. They risk falling into the hands of traffickers, losing their money or in a worst case scenario losing their lives. We are aware of a number of cases where people have died attempting an illegal journey to Australia,” she said.