The Commissioner of Rehabilitation and Social Welfare of Tamils, who addresses matters concerning Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in the state camps, has no information about refugees who are willing to return to their home country or those looking for Indian citizenship.
This was stated in response to Chennai resident under the Law on Information Act.
In the government official, as regards the issue of voluntary repatriation of refugees in Sri Lanka, although the conditions in the country of origin have actually improved, repatriation can only be done with “their complete and voluntary consent”. International Law (especially refugee Convention of 1951), UNHCR policy (UN High Commissioner for Refugees), and evolving legal rights are forbidden by forced repatriation in situations where refugees can still face persecution or hazardous conditions.
For this reason, the Commissioner does not collect the data. “Whenever the refugees want to return, we help them immediately,” he notes official, adding that “The request to return with us is not waiting.”
Regarding the question of citizenship, the permanent position of the Union Government was that every foreigner can obtain citizenship, can be obtained by registering pursuant to Section 5 of the 1955 Citizenship Act or naturalization pursuant to Section 6 of the Act. However, an illegal migrant is not eligible to obtain citizenship by registration or naturalization. However, an illegal migrant is not eligible to obtain citizenship by registration or naturalization.
However, the main obstacle to Sri Lankan refugees, who are applying for citizenship, is that they were under the law under the leadership of “illegal migrants”. In its interim report of September 2023, the State Government Advisory Committee recommended that this position should be reviewed and canceled as “acceptance of the Sri Lankan tamil with the concurrence” of the Ministry of the Interior of the Union.
The answer of the RTI law stated that on 31 May 2025 the number of refugees living in camps was 57 118 belonging to 19,662 families. According to data available with the branch of the Q Police Department, 32,745 refugees belonging to 13,167 families lived outside the camps.
Published – 31 July 2025 12:08
