Sri Lanka has approved a new plan to simplify procedures for Sri Lankan Tamils living as refugees in India who wish to return home voluntarily, according to reports.
The move comes in the backdrop of the island nation’s long ethnic conflict, which escalated into a civil war after 1983 and ended in May 2009. During the war years, thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils fled to Tamil Nadu and continue to live in camps and outside them.
Under the approved framework, immigration-law violation cases and related complications recorded against those who left Sri Lanka during the war without proper travel documents—after registering as refugees in India—will be relaxed. Their citizenship will be verified with the support of the UN refugee agency and through Sri Lankan diplomatic missions in India.
Authorities will also conduct intelligence-based screening to check whether returnees face allegations such as murder, treason or other serious offences. Those cleared of legal issues will be allowed to enter Sri Lanka through recognised ports or airports using temporary travel documents.
Only individuals facing serious criminal allegations will be stopped at the borders and subjected to legal action. The plan applies to those who settled in India between August 1, 2006 and May 19, 2009, the date the war ended.
