Indo-Lanka MoU sought to bring back Tamil refugees
October 21, 2014 08:42 am
A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee rehabilitation
organisation which has been working in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka for the past 30
years, has sought a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Sri Lanka and
India to facilitate and expedite the return of the refugees to the island
nation.
In a letter to President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, S C Chandrahasan, Treasurer of the Organization for Elangai Refugees’
Rehabilitation (Ceylon), pointed out that around 65,000 Lankan Tamil refugees
living in 110 camps in Tamil Nadu were to return to Lanka by 2012, but so far,
only about 8,000 have returned.
Since the slow pace is attributed to some
serious concerns raised by the refugees, guarantees need to be given by both
Colombo and New Delhi, he said.
“These could be incorporated in an
Memorandum of Understanding between
Lanka and India,” Chandrahasan suggested.
In a document detailing the requirements
for a “well-planned and structured return programme,” Chandrahasan said that it
had been drafted after 17 consultations with refugees from 110 camps across 25
districts in Tamil Nadu.
Allaying Lankan fears of the return of
militants in the guise of refugees, Chandrahasan said that due to their long
stay in India, refugee youths value democracy and non-violence.
With over 3,000 graduates among them, the
refugees could contribute to reconciliation and democracy in Lanka, he added.
When the Tamil population in Lanka is
dwindling due to migration, and lands may change hands, a Mannai Meetpom (Let’s
Regain Our Land) movement is called for, and facilitation of the refugees’
return is part of it, Chandrahasan told New Indian Express.
