P News Bulletin
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TAMILS CAN RETURN SAFELY TO
SRI LANKA, SAYS COURT PRESIDENT
Thursday 9/2/89 AM
ALKMAAR
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The president of the Alkmaar district court ruled on Tuesday that Tamils deported from the Netherlands could safely return to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo without fear of persecution.
On that basis court president R. Gisolf rejected an application by a Tamil, T. Kanagasamy, to be allowed to remain in the Netherlands pending an appeal against the refusal of a residence permit.
Gisolf said he had based his decision on information from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Netherlands refugee support group Vluchtelingenwerk.
Gisolf's decision is likely to set a precedent for similar cases still to be heard throughout the country, Kanagasamy's lawyer, H. van Vliet said after the hearing.
The government had stopped deporting Tamils to Sri Lanka pending Gisolf's decision.
Gisolf said the information he received had suggested a war-type situation in the north of Sri Lanka where young Tamils were quickly suspected of being guerrillas by the Indian peace-keeping force.
But, the president said, Tamils were safe in and around Colombo although their economic and social situation would be difficult.
Gisolf said that according to the information at his disposal Kanagasamy was not registered as a Tamil guerilla in Sri Lanka.
There was therefore insufficient reason to allow him to stay in the Netherlands, Gisolf said.
Government policy, re-stated by the Justice Ministry in October, is that the situation in Sri Lanka is safe enough to allow Tamils to be returned there.
RDM STILL CHASING CANADIAN SUBMARINE ORDER
ROTTERDAM The state-owned RDM shipyard said on Tuesday it had signed an agreement with a Canadian company which would enable it compete for a lucrative order for submarines from Canada.
RDM said the deal with Energy Conversion Systems provided for the adaptation of the Canadian company's hybrid (part-nuclear/part- conventional) propulsion system to fit RDM's Walrus class submarine. This could help to put RDM(Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij) back in the running for the Canadian order, RDM said.
RDM had appeared to be out of contention for the order after Canada specified that it was seeking nuclear-powered submarines which the Dutch company was unable to supply.
Nuclear-powered submarines do not have to surface as frequently as conventional submarines and are therefore more difficult to detect.
The Financial Times reported last week that the Canadian submarine project faced delays/because of a recent cabinet reshuffle in Ottawa and a general review of government expenditure.
The Financial Times said the order was expected to be won by either a British of a French group.
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