Sri Lankan refugees in India assured safe return without arrest

Glocal
By Editor_1
Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu in 2012 -  EC/ECHO Arjun Claire/File

COLOMBO – Sri Lankan nationals living as refugees in India can now return to the country through any international airport without fear of questioning or arrest, Minister of Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake said.

Addressing a media briefing at the National People’s Power (NPP) district office in Jaffna on Wednesday (26), Rathnayake said the government had introduced the necessary legal concessions and facilities to ensure the safe and dignified return of Sri Lankan citizens who had left the country through irregular routes during the war.

He said some returnees had previously been arrested after arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake because exemptions granted to certain groups of returnees were not applicable to some Sri Lankan nationals who recently returned through Jaffna International Airport in Palaly.

Following interventions by MP Karunananthan Ilankumaran and Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala, those arrested were subsequently released following court proceedings, Rathnayake said.

He said the Cabinet had taken a decision two weeks ago to ensure that Sri Lankan citizens who had left the country through irregular routes to protect their lives could return safely through any international airport in Sri Lanka.

The government would also provide assistance to returning families with resettlement, including support in obtaining land where necessary, through Members of Parliament and ministers serving as chairpersons of District Coordinating Committees, he said.

Rathnayake said the government had simultaneously intensified efforts to release civilian land in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, following a high-level meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on August 20.

He said the government was seeking to balance national security requirements with the rights of civilians to regain access to their homes and property.

According to Rathnayake, between 2009 and 2024, 811 acres of State land and 21,942 acres of privately owned land were released in the Jaffna District.

From January 2025 to August 20, 2026, a further 65 acres in Jaffna, 128 acres in Kilinochchi, 615 acres in Mullaitivu, 135 acres in Mannar and 150 acres in Vavuniya had been released, he said.

The government also plans to allow civilians currently engaged in agricultural activities east of the Palaly Airport Road to construct houses and establish permanent residences in the area by September, Rathnayake said, adding that the government was also considering the release of land east of Vasavilan Road, with the exception of plots deemed essential for security purposes.

He said the government was also considering providing compensation based on prevailing market values for lands that must be permanently retained for security requirements.

Commenting on the Chemmani excavations, Rathnayake said that 565 skeletal remains had so far been recovered and that the Ministry of Justice was taking steps to identify the victims through the recovered remains and pursue legal action against those responsible for the alleged incidents.

–ENCL

Editor_1
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