The document discusses a study of 12 failed Tamil asylum seekers living in East London. It provides details on the study such as the population, location, methods, and participant demographics. Key findings include asylum seekers facing rejection for a variety of reasons and experiencing lack of legal information, homelessness, poor health, and culture/language barriers. Issues are also discussed around the asylum application and rejection process.

2.  Govt led military operation
◦ End in May 2009
◦ 280,000 people displaced
 Internally Displaced People (IDP) origin
◦ Northern districts of Sri Lanka
 Sri Lankan apply for asylum in the UK in 2007,
◦ 990 (4 per cent)
 Applications, excluding dependants, for asylum
◦ 24 per cent lower in Q3 2009 (5,055) compared with Q3
2008 (6,685).
 Britain violating the human rights of Tamil asylum
seekers, putting their lives in danger.
sources UNHCR , 2010 & UK home office ,2009

3. IDP origin from Northern Districts of Sri Lanka
Source- Kristian
Stokke (2005)

4.  To understand the plight of failed Sri
Lankan asylum seekers living in East
London

5.  Study Population:12 failed Tamil asylum seekers
 Study Site: Tamil Welfare Association Newham,
London
 Study Method : Unstructured interviews
 Sampling technique: Purposive & snowball
sampling
 Data collection: Date collected in June-July 2007
 Data analysis: coding and indexing methods

6.  8 men and 4 women were interviewed, Categorise
into three groups
o Fresh applicant who are recently arrived , application
has been rejected
o Older applicant whose application rejected more than
twice
o Women applicant whose application rejected due to
involvement with LTTE
 Categorise to understand different waves
of asylum seekers
 Age of respondents varies form 25-30 and
35-45

7.  Escape due to fear from Liberation Tiger of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) & Government of Sri
Lanka (GoSL)
 Children forced to join the LTTE without
their willingness.
“It’s unsafe for me to return I will be either caught
by Singhale army force or LTTE..... They are
assigned targets by LTTE group”. Voice of
women applicant
 Consequences of war faced by the people
living in army and the LTTE control area

8.  Bombing, firing, threatening and killing
◦ left a deep scar in people mind.
“I can’t sleep at night I am mentally ill, I see dead
people and bombing in my dream”.
“I have changed a lot after coming here..... as a
woman its hard for me to live like this”. Said a
women applicant

9. Lack of legal
information
Feeling of disastrous Homelessness
asylum
seekers
Lack of Confidence Employment
Culture and
Health
Language barrier

10.  Asylum seekers doesn't know the reason
 Tamils asylum seekers are living with no
hopes, no dreams, no life
“I am waiting for the response now they should
consider, if my application is rejected and they
send me back I will be arrested in Colombo
airport and tortured to death I don’t want to die”
says a fresh applicant in a fearful voice.
“I am physically safe here but not mentally. I feel
like a criminal all the time. This is very
disappointing, I can’t go back to my country”.
said older applicant

11.  Person is not qualify for the Humanitarian
protection under paragraph 339F
 Rejection under paragraph 353 of the
immigration rule HC395 where the law says
any appeal relating to the claim is no longer
pending
 Rejection on the basis of under paragraph
339F of immigration rule.

12.  Rejection due to failure of producing
evidence on article 2 and 3 of the European
Convention on Human Rights
 Harsh to asylum seekers while rejecting
application
“even in complete absence of medication, you have failed to
show that these ailments are such that your return to Sri Lanka
would reduce your life expectancy and subject you to acute
physical or mental suffering. Therefore you do not qualify for
discretionary leave”

13.  Nervousness in the interview process at home
office
 Missing facts in home office refusal letters
 No proper interpretation
 Less understanding of UK asylum process
 Lack of Counselling, medical treatment &
financial support
 Illegal work
 No humanitarian support

14.  Although there are many studies conducted
on failed asylum seekers, still the list is not
exhaustive and researchers need to look at
more individual angle of the plight rather
than the general one.
 Such research might bring out problem
associated with specific type of setback and
help the Home office to formulate policy
guidelines to counter such issues.