Sri Lanka eases return process for Tamil refugees from India

Sri Lanka will simplify immigration procedures to facilitate the voluntary return of Tamil refugees from India who left the island without valid documents during the decades-long civil war. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament on Wednesday that the Cabinet had approved special arrangements allowing eligible returnees to enter Sri Lanka after security clearance. "The Cabinet decided to allow them back in with a security clearance," Wijepala said, adding that those wishing to return should contact the Sri Lankan mission in Chennai. The move addresses a longstanding issue affecting thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils who fled to India following ethnic violence.