US tells Russia to keep troops out of Ukraine as Crimea flashpoint looms

Turmoil in Ukraine is turning attention to Moscow's claims to the Crimea, where Russia keeps its Black Sea fleet

A protestor waits with a bat at the entrance of Independence square in Kiev Photo: AFP/Getty Images

By Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent-23 Feb

2014

Human rights and asylum seeker ad ocates are condemning a decision to employ a former Sri !ankan military officer as the acting operations manager of the Manus "sland detention centre# The A ! has confirmed that "inesh Perera has been running the offshore processing centre #$P!% for the G&' security company( )hen approached by the A !* G&' issued a statement saying:

+,r "inesh Perera is an $perations ,anager at the ,anus Is-and !entre. he is not in charge of the !entre( /e is an Austra-ian citi0en who has wor1ed for G&' for a number of years in other contracts before ta1ing on a ro-e with the ,anus Is-and contract( /e is appropriate-y qua-ified for his ro-e( It is our po-icy not to comment on the ethnicity or race of our emp-oyees(+ A spo1esperson for the ,inister for Immigration ear-ier confirmed that ,r Perera was the acting G&' centre operations manager at ,anus Is-and( +!ontracts with G&'* and other service providers at $P!s* contain c-auses requiring that a-- personne- emp-oyed are* and remain* of good character* demonstrate good conduct* have a-- re-evant Austra-ian Federa- Po-ice c-earance and are suitab-y trained to underta1e ro-es*+ the spo1esperson said( +Any questions regarding ,r Perera2s emp-oyment shou-d be referred to his company(+ 'ri 3an1a2s bitter civi- war between the government and the separatist Tami- Tigers raged for more than two4and4a4ha-f decades before ending in 5667( The director of advocacy and research at the /uman 8ights 3aw centre* 9mi-y /owie* says ,r Perera shou-d be removed( +It2s comp-ete-y inappropriate for anyone with -in1s to the 'ri 3an1an mi-itary to be in charge of the we-fare and we--4being of vu-nerab-e asy-um see1ers* inc-uding Tami-s*+ ,s /owie said( +There2s a high -i1e-ihood that the Tami-s being he-d there are f-eeing persecution at the hands of the 'ri 3an1an mi-itary( +This isn2t about the activities of this one man( It2s about :the; way that Austra-ia ta1es care of the asy-um see1ers who are in its custody( +The p-acing of an e<4mi-itary commander from a source country for refugees -i1e 'ri 3an1a high-ights Austra-ia2s comp-ete insensitivity to the very rea- ris1s and suffering that those asy-um see1ers are f-eeing(+ Activists say there are now about =6 ethnic Tami- 'ri 3an1an asy-um see1ers being detained at the camp* out of a tota- of about >*=66( Fo--owing a tip4off from information activist Asher )o-f* the A ! contacted ,r Perera* who confirmed that he was current-y the acting manager of the ,anus faci-ity( /e a-so confirmed that he had served as an officer in the 'ri 3an1an mi-itary( ,r Perera refused to comment any further(

/is page on the 3in1edIn website says he has +proven trac1 records of operationacommand e<perience during emp-oyment of offshore detention services and security environment as a !ompany !ommander in the 'ri 3an1an Army+( The page a-so says ,r Perera has e<perience in correctiona- services faci-ities in ?ictoria and @ew 'outh )a-es( The 8efugee Action !oa-ition2s Ian 8intou- says there are internationa- concerns about the ro-e the 'ri 3an1an army p-ayed in the recent civi- war in the country( +I don2t rea--y thin1 having a former 'ri 3an1an army commander running the detention camp where you2ve got 'ri 3an1an asy-um see1ers is appropriate*+ he said( +It2s not to say he2s done anything inappropriate* but he wou-d have access to a-- those records( /e wou-d have access to their detai-s and those detai-s cou-d be so easi-y passed on with terrib-e consequences for other peop-e -eft behind in 'ri 3an1a(+ The contract to provide garrison and we-fare services for another 56 months has Aust been forma--y awarded to Transfie-d 'ervices* which has been providing garrison services to the @auru detention faci-ity for the past year( Transfie-d wi-- subcontract security services on ,anus Is-and to )i-son 'ecurity( Transfie-d 'ervices says ,r Perera is not emp-oyed by them or by )i-son 'ecurity* and that he is not on their -ist of peop-e who have app-ied for new positions(