http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20110111_03

Returning Tamils are safe in Sri Lanka says Canadian authorities

Sri Lanka is peaceful – Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board
“Your life is not in danger just because you’re a Tamil who has been sent back to Sri Lanka”, says a new policy introduced by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board.The “persuasive decision,” a note aimed at maintaining consistency in IRB rulings, said meaningful changes in Sri Lanka suggest Tamils – particularly young males – won’t be persecuted because of their social group or political opinions. Although refugee board adjudicators aren’t forced to follow the new guideline, the IRB said such notes “are offered to members as models of sound reasoning that may be adopted in appropriate circumstances.”The policy, which could affect refugee claimants who arrived in Canada aboard the Ocean Lady and MV Sun Sea, is being challenged in court by a lawyer who says it is not legally sound. The IRB’s decision was released last month, just before the holidays. Persuasive decisions derive from individual cases that are identified as being of persuasive value in developing guidelines. The IRB also pointed to improvements in the country’s human-rights situation, among other factors.The persuasive decision said protection is limited to those who face a specific risk that is not faced generally by others in or from the country.Source: The Globe and Mailc