Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu can return home: What are the conditions?
The move comes months after former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking Centre's intervention on several issues faced by Sri Lankan Tamils living in India for more than four decades.
4 min readNew DelhiUpdated: Aug 13, 2026 03:36 PM IST
Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin had earlier urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene on issues faced by Sri Lankan Tamils living in India. (AI-generated image)
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet has approved special arrangements to facilitate the voluntary return of citizens who fled the country during the civil war and have been living in India without valid passports or after leaving through unauthorised ports, local media reported.
The move follows the advice of the Attorney General to provide necessary immigration clearance facilities for Sri Lankan refugees seeking to voluntarily return to the country through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the report stated.
According to his letter, around 89,000 refugees reside in and outside camps across Tamil Nadu, with nearly 40% of them having been born in India.
What are the conditions for return?
According to the Cabinet’s decision, Sri Lankans who left the country between August 1, 2006 and May 19, 2009, without using an approved port or possessing valid travel documents, will be required to obtain a clearance report.
This report will be issued by the State Intelligence Service after verifying the refugees’ identities as Sri Lankan citizens through Sri Lankan diplomatic missions in India.
The process will also provide the returnees with clearance from involvement in murder, treason, and other offences under specific legal provisions, Ada Derana reported.
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Those found to have committed or been involved in these offences will be detained at the port of entry and handed over to the relevant authorities for further legal action, a statement by the Sri Lankan Department of Government Information highlighted.
Those who receive clearance will be issued temporary passports and allowed to enter Sri Lanka through an authorised port without being prosecuted under the relevant provisions of the Immigrants and Emigrants Act No. 20 of 1948, according to the government statement.
A mechanised boat, which belonged to local fishermen, Wellington, was also seized, according to the report.
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This was the third boat captured by the Sri Lankan Navy within a span of one and a half months, Saveriyar Fishermen Association President Sagayam Saveriyar said, expressing deep concern over detentions.
Demands of the fisherfolk community
Out of more than 600 mechanised boats operating from Rameswaram, only over 300 ventured into the sea on August 12 amid persistent fears of seizures by the Sri Lankan Navy, local fisherfolk told PTI.
Sagayam Saveriyar told PTI, “The Sri Lankan Navy intercepted the boat and arrested nine fishermen. It is distressing that both the Central and State governments are remaining indifferent to this issue.”
The president also sought urgent intervention of the Central and state governments to secure prompt releases of the fishermen and their vessels.
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He warned that the fishing community would be forced to begin protests if swift steps were not taken.
The association leader also stated that while the current Tamil Nadu government under Joseph Vijay had promised to resolve the Sri Lankan maritime issue, detentions have continued unabated, the news agency quoted.
He called on authorities to intervene and ensure that fishermen are allowed to carry out traditional fishing activities in the Katchatheevu region without harassment.
The developments are significant for Tamil Nadu because thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils have lived in the state for decades, while arrests of Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan authorities remain a recurring source of tension between New Delhi and Colombo.
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