Sri Lankans (in India)
The 26-years long conflict between the Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) began in 1983 when the LTTE rose against the central government and fought for Tamil independence. It led to widespread violence and displacement. Soon after the insurgency, about 130,000 Tamils fled from violent reprisals to the state of Tamil Nadu inIndia, and by 2001 UNHCR estimated that around 817,000 Sri Lankans, mostly Tamils, were displaced internationally.
Indiais not a signatory to the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol and the grant of 'refugee status' is at the discretion of the political authorities. Over 100,000 refugees are still inIndia, the majority of whom are in camps run by the government while some 30,000 live outside these camps in cities and towns. Their protracted exile has been marked by restrictions over their freedom of movement, poor life conditions in camps and incidences of abuses.
Since the military defeat of the Tigers in May 2009, the government of Sri Lanka has taken full control of the northern and eastern districts and promoted the return of 380,000 internally displaced people. However, only a few thousands refugees living inIndiahave gone back toSri Lankato date. In 2009, UNHCR helped the return of some 800 refugees to Sri Lanka, while 1000 refugees returned by themselves and then approached UNHCR for assistance. The number of returns is gradually increasing and in 2010 the organisation helped over 2000 refugees to return, with another estimated 3000 making their own way home. UNHCR also reported that in 2009 and 2010 at least 380 new Sri Lankan refugees arrived inIndia. Given that the post-war context is characterised by the centralisation of power in the hand of the executive, the militarisation of the former war-torn areas and the lack of prospect for reconciliation and accountability for crimes committed, repatriation is not yet regarded as a viable durable solution for all refugees.
Online Resources
- Ravindran, I. P. (2009), 'Refugee Resources: Sri Lankan Tamils in India,' Forced Migration Review No. 33.
- Saha K.C. (2004) 'Learning from empowerment of Sri Lankan refugees in India', Forced Migration Review No. 20
- Sriskandarajah, D. (2004, last updated 2005) 'FMO Research Guide: Sri Lanka'.
- Venugopal, R., Benson, E., Fonseka, B., Satkunanathan, A. (2010) 'Civilian protection in Sri Lanka under threat', RSC Working Paper Series No. 58.
Offline Resources
- Ferris, E. (2009) 'At Long Last: Finally Peace for Sri Lanka?' Journal of International Peace Operations.
- Lang, H. and Knudsen, A. (2007) 'Sri Lanka's Conflict-Induced Displacement: Challenges and Dilemmas of Protection for Humanitarian Agencies in Trincolamee', in Adelman, H. (ed.), Protracted Displacement in Asia: No Place to Call Home (Aldershot: Ashgate), pp.107-130.
