Committee for repatriation of Tamil refugees formed

Chennai :The Sri Lankan government on Monday formed a committee to facilitate the repatriation of thousands of Sri Lankans refugees who have been living in Tamil Nadu after fleeing their country following the outbreak of a brutal civil war.According to official figures, there are more than 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu, of which some 68,000 are housed in over 100 government-run camps.The committee appointed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Office is headed by Chandima Wickramasinghe, Additional Secretary to the President, and the other members are the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a senior official of the Registrar General’s Department and a senior official of the Ministry of Justice.This decision was reached during the discussion held at the President’s Office under the chairmanship of the President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake at the request of the Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OFERR), to bring back the Sri Lankans who have gone to India as refugees due to the war, newsfirst.lk website reported.