Sri Lanka to give citizenship to returning refugees

Sri Lanka to give citizenship to returning refugees

Sri Lanka said on Sunday that it would offer citizenship to thousands of refugees who are scheduled to return back from India over the next several months.

Deputy Minister of Resettlement Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan said that thousands of Sri Lankan refugees who fled to southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu during the country's 30 year war against Tamil Tiger rebels would be registered upon their arrival and be given the necessary documents.

Muralitharan said that while most of these refugees have been living in Tamil Nadu for the past 20 or 30 years, they will be resettled in their original homes.

Even children who have been born in refugee camps in India, will be given Sri Lankan nationalities once they arrive, Muralitharan said.

"We welcome all these refugees back to Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan government together with other agencies has made all arrangements to bring these refugees back home via sea transport," he said.

Since the conflict ended in May 2009, Sri Lankan refugees have been steadily returning back to the country, mainly from India.

According to Indian government figures, some 69,000 Sri Lankan refugees are living in 112 camps in Tamil Nadu.

The UN's refugee agency said that there are 141,063 Sri Lankan refugees in 65 countries, with the majority in India, followed by France, Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Malaysia, the United States and Italy.

Editor: Yamei Wang

English.news.cn   2011-10-30 15:16:54 FeedbackPrintRSS
COLOMBO, Oct. 30 (Xinhua)