New hope for Sri Lankan refugees in India

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice in India would recommend to the Centre to grant Indian citizenship to Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who want to remain in the country, its Chairman E M Sudarsana Natchiappan has told to India TV News agency.

He said the committee has come across divided views by the refugees on the question of returning home with some sections wanting to acquire Indian citizenship and others putting conditions such as assurance for lives to go back.

Natchiappan, who held discussions with refugees and fishermen on their problems here today, said some sections had come to India fearing for their lives and if the Sri Lankan government provided them assurance regarding education and employment, they were willing to go back.

The Indian government should also give them assurance for their lives, they said.

Some others said that they had children born in India and also married here and wanted Indian citizenship, he stated.

The committee would recommend to the central government to give citizenship to those who wanted to stay in India. The other views expressed by the refugees would also be taken to the government’s notice, he said.

As per a survey conducted by an NGO, seventy per cent of the refugees were willing to go back to their country while twenty per cent wanted to remain here, he said adding that ten per cent were willing to go back with some conditions including that they would given equal right.

“If they are willing to go back, they will be sent back and there would be no pressure,” he said.

Masiladevi, a refugee, said government should not show any urgency in sending them back.