Colombo: The United Nations on Saturday welcomed Sri Lanka's decision to simplify immigration procedures to expedite the voluntary return of refugees from India who left the country without valid documents during its decades-long civil war.
The Sri Lankan government earlier this month made special arrangements for the initiative aimed at streamlining the process to facilitate the return of refugees from India.
Sri Lankan refugees began arriving in Tamil Nadu in large numbers after ethnic violence in the island nation that started in 1983, and the subsequent escalation of the armed conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which went on for nearly three decades.
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While around 18,000 of them returned home between 2002 and 2022, approximately 90,000 refugees continue to reside in the southern Indian state.
Many of those who remain have spent decades in India, with questions around livelihoods, documentation and long-term legal status forming part of the challenges surrounding their eventual return.
Resident Coordinator and representative of the UN Secretary-General in Sri Lanka, Marc-Andre Franche, said that through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the intergovernmental organisation will continue to facilitate the return and resettlement of these refugees.
"I welcome the Cabinet's decision on procedures for the voluntary return of Sri Lankan refugees -- a key step towards a safe & dignified return after years of displacement," he said in a post on X.
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