The Hindu : National : Internally Displaced Persons will return home, says Sri Lanka

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Internally Displaced Persons will return home, says Sri Lanka

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: Sri Lanka has assured India that it will see to the return of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) to their homes and to dismantle the camps in 180 days.

New Delhi was also assured of Colombo’s intention to implement a proposal that would be an advance on the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, designed to devolve considerable powers to the provinces in that country.

External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said this here on Wednesday, after a meeting with a three-member delegation from Sri Lanka comprising Basil Rajapaksa, Senior Adviser to the Sri Lankan President; Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa; and Secretary to the President Lalith Weertunga.

Mr. Krishna said they reviewed bilateral issues and developments in Sri Lanka. When he raised the issue of rapid resettlement and rehabilitation of IDPs in the northern Sri Lanka, the delegation came up with the assurance..

India would aid Sri Lanka’s resettlement and rehabilitation process, he said and conveyed New Delhi’s commitment to assist in demining activity, which he said was the first step in permitting the safe return to homes of the IDPs.

Mr. Krishna said that following the cessation of hostilities in the island nation, an opportunity had arisen to build a better future for all the people of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lankan government clarified that it did not contemplate putting up any military structures at Katchchateevu.

Mr. Krishna said the Sri Lankan delegation agreed to his suggestion to allow the ship m.v. Captain Ali to offload the relief items consisting of food, medicines and others on board meant for IDPs in northern Sri Lanka. These would now be routed to Sri Lanka through the Indian Red Cross.

Later on Wednesday night, the ship left for Sri Lanka.

Raja meets Krishna

Our Chennai Special Correspondent writes:

Earlier, Union Minister for Communications and Information Technology A. Raja met Mr. Krishna and urged him to use India’s good offices “to persuade the government of Sri Lanka to allow unloading of the relief materials sent through the vessel m.v. Captain Ali.”

The relief materials were collected by Tamils in Europe for the internally displaced Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka and were not allowed by the Sri Lankan Navy, he said.

According to the Sri Lankan Navy website, the ship, which was sailing under a Syrian flag, was intercepted by the Navy and escorted out of Sri Lankan territorial waters for violating internationally accepted formalities followed by merchant ships.

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