75 more Sri Lankan Tamil refugees set to return home

CHENNAI: Seventy five Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu will leave for their native land on Tuesday under the UNHCR facilitated voluntary repatriation programme. Diplomatic sources in the deputy Sri Lankan high commission said that on Tuesday 29 members of seven families will fly out of Madurai, 31 13 families will depart from Trichy and 15 of eight families will fly out of Chennai.There are more than 64,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 109 camps in India.
Refugees who are going back are from the erstwhile war-torn regsions of Mannar, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Trincomalee and Mullaitivu. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is providing free tickets to those returning, along with a reintegration allowance of $75 per person, transport allowance of $19 and a non-food grant of $75 per family.
According to records with the Sri Lankan diplomatic mission, 1,770 refugees belonging to 870 families have returned to Sri Lanka in the past two years. The trend is a sign of reconciliation and moving towards permanent peace, a diplomat said.
The Sri Lankan Deputy High commission has seen an increase in the number of applicants seeking clearance to return home. Those who have lost their passports are given fresh passports after establishing their identity.
S Anbarasan, one of the refugees living in a camp at Poonamallee said, "I came here 17 years ago. My relatives in Mannar say now it is peaceful back home. I am going back on Tuesday. I am excited. I am also worred that I ahve to start from scratch.
Chennai: Seventy five Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu will leave for their native land on Tuesday under the UNHCR facilitated voluntary repatriation programme.
Diplomatic sources in the deputy Sri Lankan high commission said that on Tuesday 29 members of seven families will fly out of Madurai, 31 13 families will depart from Trichy and 15 of eight families will fly out of Chennai. There are more than 64,000 Sri Lankan refugees in 109 camps in India.
Refugees who are going back are from the erstwhile war-torn regsions of Mannar, Jaffna, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Trincomalee and Mullaitivu. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is providing free tickets to those returning, along with a reintegration allowance of $75 per person, transport allowance of $19 and a non-food grant of $75 per family.
According to records with the Sri Lankan diplomatic mission, 1,770 refugees belonging to 870 families have returned to Sri Lanka in the past two years. The trend is a sign of reconciliation and moving towards permanent peace, a diplomat said.
The Sri Lankan Deputy High commission has seen an increase in the number of applicants seeking clearance to return home. Those who have lost their passports are given fresh passports after establishing their identity.
S Anbarasan, a refugee living in a camp at Poonamallee said, "I came here 17 years ago. My relatives in Mannar say now it is peaceful back home. I am going back on Tuesday. I am excited and also worred that I have to start from scratch.