Sunday Times (Sri Lanka)

Lankan ‘laughed’ as he assaulted women, Sydney police told

- By Dinoo Kelleghan

A Sri Lankan asylum- seeker laughed as he sexually assaulted a child and two women gathered to see pop star Ricky Martin in Sydney this week, according to informatio­n given to Australian police.

The man and another Sri Lankan asylum- seeker were charged with indecent assault and common assault. They received conditiona­l bail and will appear in court on June 26.

Earlier this year another Sri Lankan asylum- seeker on a temporary visa, Dachan Selvarajah, was charged with allegedly sexually assaulting a student at a dormitory at Sydneys Macquarie University.

He had been visiting 55 Sri Lankan asylum- seekers who had been quartered at the university as Australia tries desperatel­y to cope with accommodat­ing and processing the thousands of illegal immigrants making refugee claims to stay in that country. It appears certain this year that again Australia’s foreign aid budget will be cut because of the billions of dollars being spent on the asylum- seeker crisis.

A total of 8767 asylum- seekers entered Australia illegally on 127 boats so far this year, and 17,200 last year, after the current Labor-headed government reversed tough anti-boatpeople laws enacted by the previous government.

Last year, the Australian government cut $A375 million from its overseas aid commitment­s in order to feed and house asylum- seekers, and it is feared another 7 per cent could be sliced off foreign aid to countries including Sri Lanka.

This week’s sexual assaults in western Sydney have outraged Australian­s.

“There were three ladies assaulted,” Sydney Detective Inspector Frank Gilroy, said in an interview on radio.

“One was a child, a 14-year-old girl?” pressed commentato­r Ray Hadley. The police officer confirmed this. “One of (the men) was actually laughing during the alleged offence?” asked Hadley. Det. Inspector Gilroy confirmed that police had been given this informatio­n.

The two asylum- seekers, aged 47 and 20, had arrived illegally and been in detention before being released into the Australian community on

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