Some 2,800 Sri Lankan refugees in India and beyond have expressed an interest in returning home in the near future. UNHCR believes that among refugees those longing for home are too many, and stands ready to help people like Selliah to achieve their dream.
At the end of last year, there were said to be some 141,000 of them around the world, the majority being in Tamil Nadu.
More than two years after the 26-year civil conflict ended, the pace of returns is picking up. UNHCR is helping a growing number of Sri Lankan refugees to return to their villages in the north and east.
Most of the returns are taking place from refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, with smaller numbers from countries such as Malaysia, Georgia and the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Major areas of return include Trincomalee, Mannar, Vavuniya and Jaffna. Smaller numbers are returning to Kilinochchi, Batticaloa, Ampara and Colombo.
"The number of refugees arriving back home in Sri Lanka is rising slowly and could increase further over the next half-year with the recent launch of the Tuticorin-Colombo ferry service," said Michael Zwack, UNHCR's Representative in Sri Lanka. Tuticorin is a port on the south-eastern coast of Tamil Nadu state.
(UN refugee agency)
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