National Integration, Reconciliation and Official Languages Deputy Minister Ali Zahir Maulana yesterday made an impassioned appeal to all remaining Sri Lankan refugees in India to return home without delay. “Peace has been restored in Sri Lanka. There is no fear and suspicion anymore. You are all welcome to return to the Motherland,” was the message the Deputy Minister delivered at a gathering at the Jamal Mohammed College in Trichy, Southern India.
The Deputy Minister said the Government has taken all necessary steps to facilitate those who want to return to their homeland, especially to the Northern and Eastern provinces where mine clearance has almost ended and most lands have been released back to the original owners.
India media reported that the Deputy Minister allayed the refugees’ concerns regarding the military presence in the region, saying the military was limiting recruitment and adjusting its operations in accordance with peacetime requirements. He said he understood the reluctance of some refugees and migrants who are living with their relatives in other countries to return. However, all possible steps will be taken to help returnees to re-establish their lives in Sri Lanka.
The Government had already provided assistance to those returned and had helped them to reintegrate into society while also providing them transport and financial assistance to purchase household appliances and equipment for their new homes. The Resettlement, Rehabilitation, Northern Development and Hindu Religious Affairs Ministry will facilitate the provision of lands and livelihood assistance to the returnees. The Government plans to construct 50, 000 houses in the North while another 25, 000 houses will be built thereafter for the resettlement of refugees.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe recently informed Parliament that 9,509 Sri Lankan refugees who were in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu had returned to the country since 2010 and that another 3,815 people had expressed willingness to return. He also confirmed that the Indian government had agreed to provide naval assistance to transport the refugees and their belongings to Sri Lanka. According to official statistics, there are 65,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 110 camps in Tamil Nadu and another 35,000 are living outside the camps.
The Deputy Minister noted that arrests of Indian fishermen by the Sri Lanka Navy takes place only when they enter Sri Lankan territorial waters after crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line. However, he called for renewed talks between the fishermen and authorities of both countries to settle the ongoing disputes with regard to fishing in the region.
The Minister also handed over a letter expressing condolences of the people of Sri Lanka over the death of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and eminent poet M. Karunanidhi.