India and Sri Lanka discuss repatriation of Tamil refugees

According to official figures, there are more than 100,000 Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil NaduIndia and Sri Lanka on Friday held talks on voluntary repatriation of Sri Lankan refugees in the country, within days of deciding to “re-engage” on the issue during a meeting between their foreign ministers.

During the first meeting between the officials of the two countries, in which the Indian side was led by the Joint Secretary in-charge of Sri Lanka, the two sides talked about various aspects related to repatriation, official sources said. There was also internal consultations on the issue with other ministries in the government, they said.

Earlier this month, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Sri Lankan counterpart Mangala Samaraweera, during their over three-hour-long talks, had decided to work on repatriation of Tamil refugees to Sri Lanka who had fled during the 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.