Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Wednesday assured a delegation of Members of Parliament from Tamil Nadu that war displaced Tamils would be resettled within three months.
A delegation of MPs from Tamil Nadu belonging to DMK and Congress met Rajapaksa and submitted a memorandum requesting the Sri Lanka Government to take immediate steps for the rehabilitation of war displaced 80,000 Tamils.
President Rajapaksa admitted that there was delay in resettlement of war displaced Tamils. He said that the delay was basically because of elections in the country and the de-mining operations.
He informed the delegation that over 54,000 Tamils were displaced due to the civil war and they would be resettled in their towns and villages at the earliest. On political solution to ethnic issue of Tamils in Sri Lanka, President said that his government was committed to implement the 13th amendment under 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord. His government would initiate the steps for the purpose at the earliest.
Emerging out of the meeting with Sri Lankan President, DMK leader TR Baalu and Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar told reporters “We requested the President to take steps to resettle the 80,000 people who are still lodged in camps in northern Sri Lanka.” The delegation of 14 MPs expressed concern over the non-fulfillment of the assurance given by the Sri Lanka Government to rehabilitate all the Tamils in transit camps before December 2009.
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