Sri Lanka October 2006
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COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT SRI LANKA 31 OCTOBER 2006 RDS-IND COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION SERVICE SRI LANKA 31 OCTOBER 2006 Contents PREFACE Latest News EVENTS IN SRI LANKA, FROM 1 OCTOBER 2006 TO 30 OCTOBER 2006 REPORTS ON SRI LANKA PUBLISHED OR ACCESSED SINCE 1 OCTOBER 2006 Paragraphs Background Information GEOGRAPHY ............................................................................................. 1.01 Map ................................................................................................ 1.06 ECONOMY ................................................................................................. 2.01 HISTORY ................................................................................................... 3.01 RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ........................................................................... 4.01 CONSTITUTION .......................................................................................... 5.01 POLITICAL SYSTEM.................................................................................... 6.01 Human Rights INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 7.01 SECURITY FORCES .................................................................................... 8.01 Police............................................................................................. 8.02 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 8.10 Disappearances......................................................................... 8.19 Torture ....................................................................................... 8.28 Extra-judicial killings .................................................................. 8.34 Armed forces ................................................................................ 8.40 Arbitrary arrest and detention .................................................... 8.42 Torture ....................................................................................... 8.43 Extra-judicial killings .................................................................. 8.44 Avenues of complaint .................................................................. 8.45 MILITARY SERVICE..................................................................................... 9.01 ABUSES BY NON-GOVERNMENT ARMED FORCES ........................................ 10.01 Arbitrary arrest and detention..................................................... 10.10 Torture........................................................................................... 10.13 Extra-judicial killings ................................................................... 10.14 Forced conscription..................................................................... 10.37 JUDICIARY ................................................................................................ 11.01 Organisation ................................................................................. 11.01 Independence ............................................................................... 11.05 Fair trial ......................................................................................... 11.08 ARREST AND DETENTION – LEGAL RIGHTS.................................................. 12.01 PRISON CONDITIONS.................................................................................. 13.01 DEATH PENALTY........................................................................................ 14.01 POLITICAL AFFILIATION.............................................................................. 15.01 Freedom of political expression ................................................. 15.01 Freedom of association and assembly ...................................... 15.05 Opposition groups and political activists.................................. 15.09 ii This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 October 2006. Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 31 OCTOBER 2006 SRI LANKA FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND MEDIA .............................................................. 16.01 HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTIONS, ORGANISATIONS AND ACTIVISTS.................. 17.01 CORRUPTION ............................................................................................ 18.01 FREEDOM OF RELIGION.............................................................................. 19.01 Buddhists...................................................................................... 19.04 Hindus ........................................................................................... 19.06 Muslims ......................................................................................... 19.09 Christians...................................................................................... 19.14 ETHNIC GROUPS........................................................................................ 20.01 Tamils…. ....................................................................................... 20.03 Up-Country Tamils ....................................................................... 20.08 Indigenous people........................................................................ 20.10 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDER PERSONS............................. 21.01 DISABILITY ................................................................................................ 22.01 WOMEN .................................................................................................... 23.01 Legal rights ................................................................................... 23.03 Political rights............................................................................... 23.06 Social and economic rights......................................................... 23.07 Violence against women.............................................................. 23.10 CHILDREN ................................................................................................. 24.01 General information ..................................................................... 24.01 Education ...................................................................................... 24.10 Child care ...................................................................................... 24.13 Child soldiers................................................................................ 24.15 TRAFFICKING ............................................................................................ 25.01 MEDICAL ISSUES ....................................................................................... 26.01 Overview of availability of medical treatment and drugs ......... 26.01 HIV/AIDS – anti-retroviral treatment ........................................... 26.08 Cancer treatment.......................................................................... 26.15 Kidney dialysis ............................................................................. 26.16 Mental health ................................................................................ 26.17 HUMANITARIAN ISSUES.............................................................................. 27.01 FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT........................................................................... 28.01 INTERNALLY DISPLACED PEOPLE (IDPS) .................................................... 29.01 FOREIGN REFUGEES .................................................................................. 30.01 CITIZENSHIP AND NATIONALITY .................................................................. 31.01 EXIT – ENTRY PROCEDURES....................................................................... 32.01 Treatment of returned failed asylum seekers............................ 32.05 EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS................................................................................ 33.01 Annexes Annex A – Chronology of major events Annex B -– Timelines Annex C – Political organisations Annex D – Prominent people Annex E – Major incidents of terrorist violence in Sri Lanka 1992 - 2006 Annex F - Incidents involving the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) Annex G – Fatalities by district Annex H – Incidents of violence between the LTTE and the Karuna faction Annex I – List of abbreviations Annex J – References to source material This Country of Origin Information Report contains the most up-to-date publicly available information as at 30 October 2006. iii Older source material has been included where it contains relevant information not available in more recent documents. 31 OCTOBER 2006 SRI LANKA Preface i This Country of Origin Information Report (COI Report) has been produced by Research, Development and Statistics (RDS), Home Office, for use by officials involved in the asylum/human rights determination process. The Report provides general background information about the issues most commonly raised in asylum/human rights claims made in the United Kingdom. The main body of the report includes information available up to 30 September 2006. The ‘latest news’ section contains further brief information on events and reports accessed from 1 October 2006 to 30 October 2006. ii The Report is compiled wholly from material produced by a wide range of recognised external information sources and does not contain any Home Office opinion or policy. All information in the Report