Sri Lankan refugees keen to return home

by Ranil WIJAYAPALA

Apart from the Sri Lankan refugees in India, many Sri Lankan refugees in countries such as Malaysia and Honkong have conveyed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that they are seriously thinking about coming home, UNHCR Deputy Representative in Sri Lanka Jennifer Fagonis told the Sunday Observer.

"Now, a year after the conflict has ended, some Sri Lankan refugees in countries such as Malaysia and Hong Kong are telling us they are seriously thinking about coming home", she said.

She said according to the latest Indian government figures end-July 2010, there are 71,654 Sri Lankan refugees living in some 112 camps and 32,467 living outside the camps.

Fagonis said that latest figures from Jan 1 - September 30, 2010 show that 1,280 refugees returned voluntarily from India with UNHCR, compared to 843 in all of 2009.

These returns took place voluntarily from India with UNHCR help - what UNHCR calls 'facilitated returns'.

Also this year, over 1,000 refugees approached UNHCR offices in Sri Lanka to report that they had returned on their own accord, said UNHCR.

"Overall numbers of refugee returns to Sri Lanka are increasing and UNHCR thinks this trend will continue", she said.

However she said it is not easy to predict how many Sri Lankan refugees will want to return home as many of them have been away for years and have established lives elsewhere.

"But others will want to come home. No one wants to be a refugee and usually there is a strong desire of refugees to return home when they feel it is safe.", she said.

She said according to UNHCR's most recent statistics for end-June 2010, - gathered from governments and also from UNHCR - a total of 146,098 Sri Lankan refugees are in 64 countries.

India, France, Canada, Germany, UK, Switzerland, Malaysia, Australia, the United States and Italy are the top 10 countries hosting Sri Lankan refugees.

"This year we estimate there may be around 2,000 refugees that UNHCR will help return home, and around 3,000 spontaneous returnees that later approach UNHCR in Sri Lanka for help in restarting their lives back home. Some of these refugees tell UNHCR that the refugees still in their country of asylum are considering coming home", the UNHCR Deputy Representative said adding that "more may come in 2011".