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| Sunday, 29 January 2006 |
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No more refugees by Ananda Kannangara The Government's on-going peace initiative to end the prevailing situation in the Northern and Eastern districts will undoubtadly stop Sri Lankan seeking asylum in the State of Tamil Nadu in the future, Nation Building and Development Ministry Secretary M. S. Jayasinghe assured yesterday. He made these remarks in response to a question raised on the recent arrivals of 42 Sri Lankan refugees at Rameshwaram in Tamil Nadu from Talaimannar after a lapse of years. In an interview with the Sunday Observer Jayasinghe referred to the dangers of sea travel made by the refugees between the two ports and said that illegally operated ferry services running during odd hours benefit from the exercise. "We have already directed the Sri Lankan Navy and the Talaimannar Police to deploy high security to prevent such activities in the future," he said. He said that unlike in the past most of them now prefer to stay back in the country other than seeking asylum in other countries. Accordingly about 4000 persons have already returned to Kilinochchi from Jaffna and Mannar considering the current prevailing situation in their respective districts. When asked about the position of other Lankan refugees who left the island several years ago under the cover of the then prevailing situation in the North and East, Jayasinghe said that among them at least 9000 persons arrived in the country during the past three years with the assistance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). "However some refugees during this period arrived in the country illegaly and are handed over to the Talaimannar Police by the Government Agent. They were provided with necessary official documents such as National Identity cards to enable them to start their living in their original homes. |
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