Owing to the prevalence of illegal trafficking of humans and contraband between Sri Lanka and Australia, the two governments partnered to launch the Sri Lankan Border Risk Assessment Centre (BRAC) at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Battaramulla, Colombo, yesterday (20).
According to Minister of Irrigation, State Minister of Home Affairs, and State Minister of National Security and Disaster Management Chamal Rajapaksa, the centre will “significantly strengthen Sri Lanka’s border against illicit migrants, criminals, smugglers, and terrorists, while also streamlining the entry and exit of legitimate business persons, travellers, and tourists – all of whom are vital to national and regional economic recovery as we emerge from the pandemic”.
It is expected that the BRAC will, in conducting its duties, work to curb the illegal migration of Sri Lankans to Australia, which has seen a spike ever since the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019, according to Australian authorities. In recent years, the Australian Government has also seen fit to publish advertisements in Sri Lankan media warning of the consequences of entering the country illegally, in a bid to curb the entry of illegal immigrants to the country.
According to the Australian High Commission in Colombo, the BRAC is a new intelligence facility directly under the Ministry of Defence that will see Sri Lankan agencies sharing their collective intelligence, systems, resources, and real-time data to facilitate lawful travel and trade, while detecting and responding to unlawful activity.
Australian Minister for Home Affairs Karen Andrews said the opening of the BRAC was another significant milestone in the Australia-Sri Lanka relationship, with the centre forming one component of the two countries’ Integrated Border Management project, which Australia has supported with more than $ 5 million in funding.
“The BRAC is just the latest example of the collaborative approach Australia and Sri Lanka have taken to combatting regional crime and facilitating legitimate trade and travel,” Minister Andrews said.
“We are also proud to have worked with Sri Lanka to support the installation of Vessel Tracking and Monitoring Solution transponders on more than 4,500 multi-day fishing vessels, as well as assisting in the establishment of a land-based monitoring centre that enhances Sri Lanka’s maritime domain awareness and surveillance capability.
“I thank the Sri Lankan Navy and Coast Guard for their tireless work in combating maritime crime, including illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing in the region, as well as other transnational crime including maritime people smuggling.”
SL-Aus launch Border Centre to further combat illegal migration
20 Dec 2021
SL-Aus launch Border Centre to further combat illegal migration
20 Dec 2021
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