The record
- Palk Strait
Successive waves of crossings to Tamil Nadu from the 1980s, with long-term camp-based residence documented by Indian and international bodies. Registration status has remained unresolved across decades.
- South-east routes
Movement through Malaysia and Indonesia as transit states, neither of which is party to the 1951 Refugee Convention — leaving status determination largely to UNHCR mandate processes.
- Australia & offshore
Maritime interception, at-sea screening, and offshore processing arrangements involving Christmas Island, Nauru and Papua New Guinea are documented by UNHCR, parliamentary committees and Australian courts.
- Returns
Documented instances of return to Sri Lanka following at-sea or expedited screening drew criticism from UNHCR and UN treaty bodies on non-refoulement grounds. Individual outcomes after return are documented by NGOs; none are reproduced here.
- Canada
The 1986 Newfoundland arrivals and the 2010 MV Sun Sea voyage produced litigation and legislative change in Canada, and remain reference points in refugee-law scholarship.
- Legal frame
Non-refoulement binds under Article 33 of the 1951 Convention and Article 3 of the Convention against Torture; the latter applies regardless of Refugee Convention membership.