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There
were no
push
factors
forcing
boatpeople
to leave
Sri
Lanka,
only
pull
factors
from
Australia,
said Sri
Lanka's
Permanent
Representative
to the
UN Dr.
Palitha
Kohona
speaking
on the
ABC's
Lateline
programme.
Dr.
Palitha
Kohona
denied
the
Tamils
aboard
the
vessel
had
started
their
journey
from Sri
Lanka,
describing
them as
"economic
refugees
looking
for
greener
pastures".
"If
they
were
actually
escaping
from Sri
Lanka,
one has
to ask .
. . why
they
didn't
escape
to
India,
which is
only 22
miles
(35km)
away,
rather
than go
all the
way to
Australia,"
he said.
"It's
the
magnetic
attraction
of
Australia
that has
brought
these
people
to
Australia's
shores
illegally."
"Personally
I think
they
should
be
returned
to Sri
Lanka --
that is
where
they
belong,
and if
that
happens
it is
quite
likely
others
will not
make
this
journey
again,"
Dr
Kohona
said.
Dr
Kohona
said the
Sri
Lankan
government
had
identified
at least
two
asylum-seekers
who were
former
Tamil
Tiger
fighters
and it
was
quite
possible
there
were
others.
"I do
not
think it
is the
role of
UN
officials
to make
statements
that are
one-sided,
that
might
help
propaganda
line of
a
terrorist
organisation,"
Dr
Kohona
said.
The
comments
came
just two
days
after
Foreign
Minister
Stephen
Smith
agreed
to help
Sri
Lanka
track
down
LTTE
people-smugglers
in
return
for
greater
co-operation
in
reducing
asylum-seeker
numbers,
reported
The
Australian.
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