Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Sri Lanka will simplify immigration procedures to speed up the voluntary return of refugees from India who left the country without valid documents during the civil war, the government told Parliament on Wednesday. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said the move followed a cabinet decision and would allow returnees to re-enter after a security clearance.
Responding to a question from the opposition, Wijepala said, “The cabinet decided to allow them back in with a security clearance,” and added that those willing to return should get in touch with the Sri Lankan mission in Chennai. Earlier this month, the government approved special immigration arrangements to facilitate the return of refugees from India under the auspices of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
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Sri Lankan refugees began arriving in Tamil Nadu in large numbers after ethnic violence broke out in the island nation in 1983, followed by the escalation of the armed conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which lasted for nearly three decades. While around 18,000 refugees returned between 2002 and 2022, about 90,000 still live in Tamil Nadu. Many of them have spent decades in India, with livelihoods, documentation and long-term legal status among the issues linked to their eventual return.
Under the new arrangements, Sri Lankan nationals who left the country before August 1, 2006, without a passport will be screened by the State Intelligence Service to check that they are not accused of murder, treason or other specified offences. Those cleared in the screening will be allowed to enter Sri Lanka through an authorised airport or port on temporary passports, and will not face legal proceedings under immigration law for leaving the country without authorisation. The measures are aimed at addressing legal hurdles in the return process.
The issue had drawn attention in May last year, when a 75-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil refugee was arrested by immigration authorities at the airport in Jaffna after returning from India. The arrest raised concerns and led the government to work on a more streamlined process for refugee returns. On Wednesday, Opposition leader Shanakiyan Rasamanickam said opposition parties could help if the government allowed the required documents to be sent to refugees in advance, and the minister agreed.
In sum, Sri Lanka has now put in place a simplified process for refugees in India to return voluntarily, with security screening, temporary travel documents and protection from legal action over their earlier unauthorised departure.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
