§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to review the current level208W of political and inter-racial violence in Sri Lanka with regard to the application of criteria for granting of asylum to Singhalese and Tamils; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe situation in Sri Lanka is kept under constant review. Applications for asylum from Sri Lankans, as for all nationalities, are considered on an individual basis and refugee status is granted to those who meet the criteria established by the 1951 convention. The Government remain of the view, however, that membership of any particular ethnic group in Sri Lanka does not of itself provide the basis of a claim to refugee status under the convention. Asylum applicants who fail to meet the requirements of the convention are liable to be returned to Sri Lanka. Exceptional leave to enter, or remain, in the United Kingdom may be considered taking into account all the individual circumstances of a case, including in particular an applicant's personal acceptability, the length of time he has been in the United Kingdom and any compassionate factors.