REFUGEE

Colombo: Tamil Refugees in Sri Lanka to be Resettled by Jan 2010, Sri Lankan government hopes to relocate the majority of Tamils displaced by war in January next year, a minister has said amid growing U.S. pressure and other Western nations to send to the Tamils.
“The government has always maintained that IDPs should be designed and delivered in a structured and well managed manner,” Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe.
“We hope to reach our goal of resettling a majority of IDPs on 31 January next year,” he said.
Tamil Today, tens of thousands displaced by war are languishing in refugee camps special and Washington, the EU and human rights groups have called for their early repatriation back home.
“Having overcome the threat of terrorism and achieve military dominance in a ruthless organization that has ruined the life of the nation for nearly three decades, we have a unique opportunity to forge a new Sri Lanka where the human dignity of all citizens is fully safeguarded” , who said on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Rishad Bathiudeen said the total number of displaced persons in northern numbering 2.85 LAKH, nearly a Lakh people have been sent back home.
Bathiudeen said one of the main obstacles to the resettlement of IDPs in their hometowns or villages was time to clear landmines in those areas.