Australian High Commission
Colombo
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Strengthening Sri Lanka - Australia legal cooperation: Magistrates' Workshop on People Smuggling and Mutual Legal Assistance
Sri Lanka and Australia have demonstrated their continued commitment to combating people smuggling and transnational crime by holding a workshop for magistrates in Bentota. The workshop was held from 25 to 27 October and was attended by 35 Sri Lankan magistrates. It is the third in a series of workshops delivered to Sri Lankan law and justice officials over the past twelve months.
Acting Secretary of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Justice, Mrs Lakshmi Gunasekera, and Australia’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, H.E Robyn Mudie, opened the workshop, which was co-hosted by the Ministry of Justice and Australia’s Attorney-General’s Department.
H.E Robyn Mudie welcomed the “unprecedented levels of legal cooperation” between Australia and Sri Lanka in combating people smuggling and other forms of transnational crime.
The workshop comes just weeks after the Australian Government announced its new policy on border protection named 'Operation Sovereign Borders', a border security operation under which illegal maritime arrivals will not be settled in Australia. Illegal maritime arrivals will instead be sent to either Papua New Guinea or Nauru. Those not found to be refugees will be rapidly returned to their home country or a country where they have a right of residence.
H.E Robyn Mudie noted that cooperation with governments and relevant authorities in source countries such as Sri Lanka would be critical to the success of ‘Operation Sovereign Borders’.
Sri Lanka’s Navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage presented on the broader context of people smuggling and detailed the success of the Sri Lanka Navy in combating maritime people smuggling.
Vice Admiral Colombage noted that Australia and Sri Lanka shared an "excellent relationship based on mutual respect" and that success in combating people smuggling was “the result of collaboration and commitment.”
The workshop also included presentations from Sri Lankan and Australian experts.
Legal cooperation on people smuggling and transnational crime issues between Australia and Sri Lanka takes place under a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Legal Cooperation against the Smuggling of Migrants, signed in December 2009.