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OFPRA, Rapport De Mission Au Sri Lanka Du 15 Au 28 Novembre 2008

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OFPRA, Rapport De Mission Au Sri Lanka Du 15 Au 28 Novembre 2008 SRI LANKA Rapport de mission Division Asie Division de l’Information, de la Documentation et des Recherches (DIDR) Division des Affaires juridiques (DAJ) RAPPORT DE MISSION AU SRI LANKA 15-28 NOVEMBRE 2008 Un camp de personnes déplacées dans la ville de Batticaloa (province de l’Est) OFPRA 201 rue Carnot Publié en août 2009 94136 Fontenay- sous-bois cedex Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 2 OFPRA Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 Remerciements La Mission souhaite remercier pour la parfaite organisation de ce séjour : Son Excellence M. Michel LUMMAUX, Ambassadeur de France au Sri Lanka, et l’ensemble des agents de l’ambassade de Colombo. Tous les membres de la Mission adressent de particuliers remerciements à M. Raphaël du BOISPEAN, Attaché humanitaire, et à M. Serge POPOFF, Attaché de sécurité, pour leur disponibilité, leur gentillesse tout au long du séjour, et la chaleur de leur accueil. OFPRA 3 Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 4 OFPRA Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 SYNTHESE OFPRA Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 Contexte de la demande A l’Office Les demandes d’asiles sri-lankaises, émanant essentiellement de demandeurs d’origine tamoule, constituent l’un des dix plus importants flux de demandes au sein de l’Office. En 2008, cette demande représentait 3300 dossiers dont 1/3 de réexamens. Au 31 décembre 2007, la population sri-lankaise placée sous protection de l’Office était d’environ 16 655 personnes. Face à la dégradation de la situation dans le pays depuis 2006, le traitement de la demande s’est avéré de plus en plus complexe, la difficulté résidant notamment dans l’impossibilité d’avoir des informations fiables et précises sur la réalité du terrain. En 2007, les conclusions d’un groupe de travail interne à l’Office regroupant des agents des différentes divisions concernées avaient permis d’apporter une première série de réponses aux agents instructeurs, notamment par l’intermédiaire d’outils documentaires spécifiques. A la CNDA La demande d’asile sri-lankaise connaît depuis de nombreuses années un taux d’annulation aux alentours de 30%, témoignant ainsi d’une distorsion entre les appréciations portées par l’OFPRA et celles portées par la CNDA. La CNDA siégeant en Sections réunies a, par deux décisions en date du 27 juin 2008, octroyé à deux ressortissants sri-lankais tamouls le bénéfice de la protection subsidiaire sur les fondements de l’article L 712.1 c) du CESEDA. Elle a estimé qu’il existait dans le Nord et l’Est des situations de violence généralisée résultant d’un conflit armé. Le nombre d’annulations est ainsi passé de 92 en 2007 (pour un nombre total de rejets de 2639) à 1140 en 2008 (pour un nombre de rejets de 2666) dont 498 décisions accordant la protection subsidiaire. Ces décisions ont à nouveau accentué l’écart d’appréciation entre l’Office et la Cour. C’est dans ce contexte, que le Directeur Général de l’OFPRA a décidé d’organiser une mission d’évaluation de la situation au Sri Lanka qui s’est déroulée du 15 au 28 novembre 2008. Elle était composée de représentants de la Division Asie (Ludovic Champain, chef de mission, et Shridhar Radje, officier de protection), de la Division de l’Information, de la Documentation et des Recherches (Fabrice Mignot, chef de section) et de la Division des Affaires Juridiques (Sarah Schwab, officier de protection). En la personne de Frédérique Doublet, représentante du ministère de l’Immigration, de l’Identité nationale et du Développement solidaire s’est également jointe en deuxième semaine à cette mission, dont l’objectif essentiel touchait à l’évaluation de la situation des droits de l’homme, et notamment à celle des populations civiles d’origine tamoule. 6 OFPRA Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 Brève présentation de la situation au Sri Lanka Après un cessez-le-feu de trois ans et demi entre les Tigres libérateurs de l’Eelam tamoul (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, LTTE) et les autorités sri-lankaises, le conflit a repris de manière intensive en 2006, le cessez-le-feu prenant fin officiellement en janvier 2008. Le Sri Lanka est donc un pays en guerre. Face à l’armée, les LTTE utilisent toutes les options : combat frontal, actions de guérillas et assassinats ciblés, attentats notamment dans la capitale. La province de l’Est du pays a été reconquise officiellement en juin 2007, et ne fait plus l’objet de combats. Ceux-ci sont donc actuellement concentrés dans la région du Vanni où les militaires, après avoir progressé très rapidement, connaissent désormais beaucoup de difficultés à avancer, ces difficultés étant liées à la fois à la résistance des LTTE et à la nature du terrain. Les combats ont forcé près de 250 000 personnes à se déplacer. Elles sont actuellement dans la zone encore sous contrôle des LTTE. A la fin de l’année 2008, cette zone ne représentait plus que quelques centaines de km². Face aux actions des LTTE, et notamment aux attentats suicides et aux assassinats ciblés, le gouvernement a décidé de réactiver les lois du PTA (Prevention of Terrorism Act) et fait régulièrement voter le maintien des lois d’urgence (Emergency Rules), qui confèrent aux forces de sécurité des pouvoirs exhorbitants. Une personne arrêtée sous ce régime peut ainsi être détenue dix-huit mois sans procédure judiciaire. L’armée et la police mènent des actions conjointes et gèrent ensemble de nombreux check points. Ce régime légal ainsi que la situation de conflit conduisent à de nombreuses violations des droits de l’homme dans le pays de la part des forces de sécurité. La population tamoule, tout particulièrement celle âgée de 18 à 35 ans, fait l’objet d’une suspicion généralisée. Les autorités allèguent que si tous les Tamouls ne sont pas terroristes, tous les terroristes sont tamouls. Au nom de la sécurité nationale, les arrestations arbitraires, les enlèvements et les disparitions sont fréquents. Les forces de sécurité agissent en toute impunité, la justice étant réticente à poursuivre les auteurs de tels actes quand ils sont connus. De plus les partis politiques tamouls pro-gouvernementaux sont généralement dotés de milices qui pratiquent, souvent en collaboration avec les forces de sécurité, des enlèvements, des assassinats et le recrutement forcé d’enfants, en particulier dans l’Est et, dans une certaine mesure, dans le Nord du pays. Les LTTE utilisent les mêmes méthodes pour éliminer ceux qu’ils considèrent comme leurs opposants. Ce mouvement exerce sur la population une très forte emprise, de nature souvent coercitive, et pratique l’enrôlement forcé. La population tamoule est donc prise au piège entre les exigences des LTTE et la crainte d’être arrêtée, assassinée ou enlevée à tout moment par les forces de sécurité et leurs auxiliaires tamouls. C’est donc un sentiment de peur généralisée parmi la population que la mission a pu constater au travers des entretiens et des constatations sur le terrain. Dans la province de l’Est, à Vavunya et à Jaffna, on ne peut plus parler de situation de violence généralisée, mais le calme est précaire, et il règne une violence sporadique dont on peine à discerner clairement les cibles. Malgré cela, le Sri Lanka est un pays doté d’une structure démocratique dont les principales institutions fonctionnent. La presse est importante, diversifiée et, en dehors de tout ce qui touche au conflit, relativement libre. L’opposition peut s’’exprimer. L’administration et les services publics (transports, écoles, hôpitaux) sont présents sur l’ensemble du territoire y compris dans les zones échappant à son contrôle. Les commerces fonctionnent, les gens circulent et se déplacent. Les Tamouls sont présents au Parlement, dirigent la province de l’Est, et comptent des ministres au sein du gouvernement. Ils sont également présents dans la vie économique, culturelle et sportive. La cohabitation entre population cinghalaise et tamoule est harmonieuse, et il n’existe pas de violence interethnique. On ne peut donc parler de persécutions systématiques à l’encontre de la population tamoule. OFPRA 7 Rapport de mission au Sri Lanka - 15-28 novembre 2008 Déroulement de la mission La mission s’est déroulée en deux temps. Lors de la première semaine, les membres de la mission se sont rendus dans la province de l’Est, dans les districts de Batticaloa et de Trincomalee puis dans la province du Nord dans le district de Vavuniya. Lors de chacune de ces étapes, ils ont pu visiter des camps de personnes déplacées et des villages de personnes retournées. Ils ont eu des entretiens avec les représentants locaux : -Des différentes agences des Nations unies présentes sur place : HCR, UNICEF, PAM, OCHA; -De certaines ONG : Comité d’Aide Médicale, Caritas Sri Lanka, Norwegian Refugee Council notamment; -Des représentants des autorités : Human Rights Commission, Governement Agent, adjoint d’un Grama Sevaka, etc. La seconde semaine, basée à Colombo, a été consacrée à des échanges avec : -les délégations nationales des agences des Nations unies rencontrées sur le terrain -des représentants du gouvernement sri-lankais (ministère des Droits de l’Homme, ministère des Affaires Etrangères) -des représentants d’ambassades étrangères concernées par la demande d’asile sri lankaise (Suisse, Grande-Bretagne, Allemagne). -Des représentants d’ONG (ACTED, Caritas) -Des organisations de défenses des droits de l’homme sri-lankaises : Free Media Movement, Center for Policy Alternative, Foundation for Co-existence, National Peace Council. Au total, la mission aura effectué une quarantaine d’entretiens et de rencontres au cours des deux semaines passées sur place. Pour des raisons d’autorisations et de sécurité, tous les interlocuteurs ont été informés de la tenue de cette mission avant la venue de celle-ci, tout comme de ses objectifs et des fonctions exercées par les membres de la mission.
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