Sri Lankan Charter Flight - Not everyone was removed (Posted Thursday 29th September 2011)
No final, but at least 9 detainees were taken off the plane after last minute legal arguments in the High Court. Many thanks to all who responded to alert.
From the Guardian this morning
A number of Tamils who had been taken into detention in recent weeks after the failure of their asylum applications were told at the last moment on Wednesday that they would not be put on the flight due to depart that afternoon, as had been planned.
After several hours of protracted legal wrangles, which saw several Tamils taken off the aircraft and returned to detention centres, the flight left from Stansted airport in Essex at around 8:00pm, five hours later than planned.
As lawyers for some of the individuals lodged last-minute appeals, the Home Office claimed that arrangements to monitor the welfare of the deportees had been sub-contracted to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), an inter-governmental body. "They do it on our behalf," a spokesman said.
When the IOM denied this, the Border Agency conceded that the only measure being taken to ensure the safety of Tamils who are forcibly removed from the UK to Sri Lanka is to give them the telephone number and address of the British high commission in Colombo.
UK not monitoring safety of Tamils deported to Sri Lanka
No Charter Flights to Sri Lanka (Posted Monday 26th September 2011)
UKBA have detained over 50 nationals of Sri Lanka, in several Immigration Removal Centres and have set removal directions for all of them. They are due to be forcibly removed from the UK on Charter Flight PVT 030 @ 15:00 hrs on Wednesday 28th September to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is still in a dangerous/perilous state and not safe for any opponents of the present Sri Lankan regime to be returned.
Sri Lanka Post-War - Risk of return to violence growing
More than two years after the end of Sri Lanka's civil war, the political situation in the country remains deeply worrying. The unique opportunity the government has to build a lasting and just peace after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is being lost.The government has not taken credible steps to ensure accountability for the grave allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity identified in the April 2011 report of the Secretary-General's Panel of Experts on Accountability in Sri Lanka. Nor has the government pursued policies to reconcile the country's ethnic communities after decades of political violence and conflict. Instead, its post-war agenda has been to further centralise power, expand the role of the military, undermine local civilian authorities, and politicise the institutions that should uphold the rule of law and combat impunity. As argued in Crisis Group's most recent report, the risk of an eventual return to violence is growing again.
<http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/key-issues/sri-lanka-post-war-progress-report.aspx>International Crisis Group
Sri Lanka is still in the top 25 countries considered to be a failed state, a failed state is characterised by having little or no proper governance, endemic corruption, profiteering by ruling elites, very poor Human Rights, the government cannot/will not protect the population from others or itself, massive internal conflict, forced internal/external displacement, institutionalised political exclusion of significant numbers of the population.
Many of those the UKBA intend to forcibly remove on Wednesday have strong links in the UK and UKBA as is their custom, is riding roughshod over their Article 8 Rights. And in general denying all those to be removed there Human rights.
Those detained and supporters outside are asking for your support to campaign against these forced removals. They are asking, that the Home Secretary, the Deputy Prime Minister and the company 'Inflite the Jet Centre' which is facilitating the forced removal be made aware, that this forced removal will endanger all those being removed.
'Inflite the Jet Centre' is facilitating forced removals by allowing UKBA to use 'Inflites' facilities at Stanstead Airport. The company boasts it is a family run business. Penny-Annette Stephens, CEO at Inflite The Jet Centre is an ardent supporter of Margaret Thatcher.
Reckless endangerment:
Ms. Stephens by cooperating with UKBA in enforcing their immigration polices, may well be guilty of 'Reckless Endangerment'. A concise definition of which is, 'A person commits the crime of reckless endangerment if the person recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. "Reckless" conduct is conduct that exhibits a culpable disregard of foreseeable consequences to others from the act or omission involved. The accused need not intentionally cause a resulting harm or know that his conduct is substantially certain to cause that result. The ultimate question is whether, under all the circumstances, the accused's conduct was of that heedless nature that made it actually or imminently dangerous to the rights or safety of others.'
What you can do to help:
1) Email/Fax/Phone, Penny-Annette Stephens, CEO 'Inflite the Jet Centre'. Demand that she immediately informs the Home Secretary that 'Inflite', will not facilitate the forced removal of of any Sri Lankan's by charter flight on Wednesday 28th September. Further that 'Inflite' will desist altogether from providing UKBA with use of their premises for any future UKBA planned charter flights.
Download model letter: Penny-Annette Stephens.doc
Inflite The Jet Centre
Round Coppice Road
Stansted Airport
Essex CM24 1AE
Phone: 01279 831000
Fax: 01279 837900
Email: operations@inflite.co.uk
http://www.inflitejetcentre.co.uk/
2) Email/Fax Theresa May, Home Secretary
Insist that the Home Secretary cancels immediately Charter Flight PVT 030 @ 15:00 hrs on Wednesday 28th September to Sri Lanka. As Sri Lanka, is still in a dangerous/perilous state and not safe for any opponents of the present Sri Lankan regime to be returned.
Download model letter:: SriLankaTM.doc
Rt. Hon Theresa May, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office,
2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Fax: 020 7035 4745
Emails:
mayt@parliament.uk
Emails: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
"CIT - Treat Official" <CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk>
3) Email/Fax Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister: Ask him to intervene with the Home Secretary Theresa May to stop the forced removal of any and all Sri Lankan nationals, due to be forcibly removed by Charter Flight PVT 030 @ 15:00 hrs on Wednesday 28th September. Sri Lanka is still in a dangerous/perilous state and not safe for any opponents of the present Sri Lankan regime to be returned.
Download model letter: SriLankaNC.doc
Nick Clegg - Deputy Prime Minister's Office
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2AS
Correspondence Section:
Tel: 020 7276 0527
Fax: 020 7276 0514
pscorrespondence@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk |