Fourth Sri Lankan forcibly returned to Colombo

A fourth failed Sri Lankan asylum-seeker had been forced home by the Rudd government after the failure of his last-ditch appeal to the United Nations.
Roshan Fernando was deported to Colombo on Saturday after the Department of Immigration was told by the UN's High Commission for Human Rights they would not investigate his case.
On Friday, advocates for Mr. Fernando asked the commission to investigate, hoping this would temporarily avoid deportation.
Speaking to ‘The Australian’ from Sri Lanka yesterday, Mr. Fernando said he was sad he had been returned to his homeland. He pledged to make another attempt to gain an Australian visa, but this time he would fly rather than risk his life by making the journey via boat. "I can't live in Sri Lanka, every day there are problems; every day I'm hiding; it's no good," he said.
The 28-year-old said he was free to leave the airport on his arrival but Sri Lankan police had visited his home looking for him since his return. Associates of the people-smuggler who owned the boat and 11 others who travelled on to the West Australian coast had also been looking for him, Mr. Fernando said. The fisherman said he felt threatened and had been forced into hiding and was living with a cousin. Only one man from Mr. Fernando's boat remains on Christmas Island, where he was appealing his case in the Federal Court.
The other 10 men had already been returned to Sri Lanka, three forcibly. One of the men forcibly deported, Indika Mendis, was believed to be in prison in Colombo.
A spokeswoman for the department said they were aware of the UN's decision before deporting Mr. Fernando home on Saturday afternoon.
"The man in question has exhausted all domestic remedies and has not been found to be owed protection under Australia's international obligations," the spokeswoman said.
Pamela Curr, campaign co-ordinator for the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre said it was a relief Mr. Fernando was safe but his long-term future remained uncertain. (The Australian)