Sri Lankan refugees who helped Snowden fear arrest in Hong Kong: report

Several Sri Lankan refugee families who helped Edward Snowden skirt authorities in 2013 now say they are living in fear in Hong Kong, CNN reported.

“I [am] very scared, maybe they can arrest me,” Supun Kellapatha told the news network. “I don’t have [a] normal life now.”

Robert Tibbo, the attorney representing both Snowden and the refugee families in Hong Kong said he heard from “multiple sources” that the Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department (CID) came to Hong Kong in pursuit of the families.

Tibbo said the Sri Lankan officials actively tried to find the families, showing other Sri Lankan community members pictures of them. The families helped hide Snowden in 2013, concealing him for weeks while he tried to evade authorities. Their involvement was made public after the Oliver Stone movie “Snowden” came out. 

{mosads}Another one of the refugees who helped Snowden, Ajith Pushpakumara, told CNN that “this situation is not safe for me here.”

Tibbo reported the situation to the Hong Kong Immigration Department.

“We do not believe that the Hong Kong government has provided the protection that our clients are entitled to receive as asylum seekers in Hong Kong,” he said.

James To, a Hong Kong lawmaker, says he will help the refugees.

“We must protect Hong Kong’s system against any abuse by foreign governments,” he said. “So we will take the matter to the Hong Kong government, to the highest level.”