Sri Lanka: I) Information on Hindu Punjabis; 2) Information on the government of Sri Lanka's treatment of Hindu Punjabis and Sri Lankans of East Indian descent
| Publisher | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1992 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | LKA11172 |
| Cite as | Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sri Lanka: I) Information on Hindu Punjabis; 2) Information on the government of Sri Lanka's treatment of Hindu Punjabis and Sri Lankans of East Indian descent, 1 July 1992, LKA11172, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac34c.html [accessed 22 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A representative of the National Alliance of Canadian Sikhs in Toronto states that Hindu Punjabis are Hindus who are originally from the Punjab (6 July 1992). The representative was unable to comment on whether there are communities of Hindu Punjabis and Sri Lankans of East Indian descent in Sri Lanka.
According to a representative of the World Tamil Movement of Ontario in Toronto, there is no community of Punjabis in Sri Lanka (3 July 1992). The representative adds that there is no community of East Indians either; however, there may be a few families of East Indian descent in Sri Lanka (Ibid).
A professor of Political Science at the University of New Brunswick provided the following information on the above subjects during a telephone interview on 3 June 1992.
1) There is no Hindu Punjabi community in Sri Lanka (3 July 1992).
2) There is a community of one million, consisting of Buras and Sindis, in Sri Lanka who are originally from the northern part of India; these people are referred to as East Indians in Canada in order to make them distinct from the aboriginals. About 65 percent of the members of the above-mentioned community have acquired the nationality of Sri Lanka. The rest are either stateless or nationals of India who are allowed to reside in Sri Lanka until they reach the age of retirement; they will be required to leave for India at that time.
There is no government policy against the above-mentioned community. However, the government of Sri Lanka is careful about this community because of fear of their possible association with the (radical) Tamils. Unless they are involved in political activities, the members of this community are not ill-treated by the government of Sri Lanka.
Additional and/or corroborating information on the above subjects is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.
References
The National Alliance of Canadian Sikhs, Toronto. 6 July 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton. 3 July 1992. Telephone Interview with Professor.
The World Tamil Movement of Ontario, Toronto. 3 July 1992. Telephone Interview with Representative.
