Over 6000 have returned from Tamil Nadu

Over 6,000 Sri Lankans have returned to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu, availing themselves of the opportunity to re-integrate to the Sri Lankan society, the External Affairs Ministry said today.

The Ministry?quoted?the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai R.K.M.A. Rajakaruna?as saying that ?the?returning process is facilitated as part of the National Action Plan to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

One of the key areas of the Action Plan is the facilitation of the return process of the displaced Sri Lankan nationals and their integration into the Sri Lankan society.

Furthermore, the Cabinet of Ministers have recently granted approval for the establishment of a National Coordinating Committee on Readmission (NCCR) to function as the Focal Point within the Government.

The mandate of this Committee is to make recommendations for Policy, Procedures and Programmes on all aspects of return and reintegration of Sri Lankan nationals, the Deputy High Commission said.

“The Government of Sri Lanka, having considered a recommendation by this Mission, has decided to issue Machine Readable proper passports to those displaced people who reside in Tamil Nadu camps and outside instead of a temporary certificate. ?We are issuing all these documents without charging any statutory fee. ?This is a special gesture by the Government of Sri Lanka for the returning Sri Lankan nationals,” he said.