The Office of the Deputy High Commission of Sri Lanka in Chennai conducted a Special Consular Service for Sri Lankans living in Tamil Nadu refugee camps on Saturday the 20 th October 2012 at the Chancery premises.
This was the very first event to be held at the new Chancery premises which was opened on 20 th September 2012.
The facilitation of return of Sri Lankan refugees from Tamil Nadu is viewed as an important part of the reconciliation programme that has been launched in post-conflict Sri Lanka. Accordingly, this Special Consular Service was conducted as part of the preparatory process of the prospective returnees to the motherland.
Inaugural ceremony was attended by Hon. B S Gnanadesikan, Member of Rajaya Sabha and President of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee and Hon. T K Rangarajan, Member of Rajya Sabha of Communist Party of India (Marxist), along with around 300 people including the representatives from media and think-tanks. During the event, 149 Citizenship Certificates, 50 passports and 59 Birth Certificates were handed over to the Sri Lankan Refugees living in Tamil Nadu by the Deputy High Commissioner, Amb. R.K.M.A. Rajakaruna.
Amongst the Sri Lankan children born in Tamil Nadu refugee camps, there are thousands of births yet to be registered under the Consular Functions Act of Sri Lanka and Citizenship Certificates to be issued accordingly. Possession of such documents will help them for a smooth transition and re-integration, once they are back in Sri Lanka.
The Special Consular Service was held in collaboration with the Department of Rehabilitation of Tamil Nadu. The OfERR, an NGO working for the welfare of Sri Lankan refugees assisted in this endeavour.
The Deputy High Commission for Sri Lanka
in Southern India, Chennai
20 October 2012
Speech delivered by Amb. R.K.M.A. Rajakaruna, Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Chennai at the second ‘Special Consular Service’ held on 20 October 2012
Ayubowan
Vanakkam
Distinguished Invitees
Members of the Sri Lankan Community
First, let me welcome you all to our new Chancery. I am happy to state that this is the second Special Consular Service that we are holding at the Deputy High Commission for the benefit of our Sri Lankan community living in the camps here. I am happy to see the presence of the officials of the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation of the Government of Tamil Nadu, Mr. Chandrahassan and his team from the OfEER, Mr. Vijayabarathi of the UNHCR Office in Chennai. I am honoured to have the presence of our distinguished friends from Chennai. It was also my honour to receive, while ago, Hon. B.S. Gnanadesikan, Rajya Sabha MP and Tamil Nadu Congress Leader, and Hon. T.K. Rangarajan, Rajya Sabha MP of CPM who came here, despite their busy schedule, to offer their support and best wishes for this event.
It is my pleasure to receive the Sri Lankan community along with our local guests from Chennai to this new premises - all as my guests.
My fellow Sri Lankans - our decision to receive you as the first group of guests to the new Chancery is indeed reflective of the process of reconciliation now underway in Sri Lanka. So, instead of using the term “refugee” or Agathi, we thoughtfully decided to welcome you as Athithi or guests. Hence, this first public event today, in the new Chancery is an auspicious occasion to welcome you all. Yet, in another sense, I must say to you that you are not really “guests” but you have come to your own home - the office of the Deputy High Commission to which you all and I have the right to say our own Embassy. So, welcome to Sri Lanka home here in Chennai. Extending this thought further, we are indeed meeting you today to facilitate your home journey back to the Motherland - Sri Lanka. We are able to talk of your return to Sri Lanka as a result of defeating a terrorist group who brought devastation to our country and all the communities for 30 years. They were a menace and threat to the land of India as well.
Our people back home-Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims-all enjoy the dividends of peace dawn three years ago. The last internally displaced person in the Manik Farm in Vavuniya was re-settled few days ago. The Government’s next focus would be you and other Sri Lankans who left the country due to the conflict situation.
In the new atmosphere of normalcy, already over 6,000 Sri Lankans have returned to Sri Lanka from Tamil Nadu, availing themselves of the opportunity to re-integrate to the Sri Lankan society. As envisaged in the Mahinda Chinthana - the vision programme of the Government of Sri Lanka, these returnees are now welcome back to the country. This returning process is also facilitated as part of the National Action Plan to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). One of the key areas of the Action Plan is the facilitation of the return process of the displaced Sri Lankan nationals and their integration into the Sri Lankan society. Furthermore, the Cabinet of Ministers have recently granted approval for the establishment of a National Coordinating Committee on Readmission (NCCR) to function as the Focal Point within the Government. The mandate of this Committee is to make recommendations for Policy, Procedures and Programmes on all aspects of return and reintegration of Sri Lankan nationals.
It is in this context, we are holding this second Special Consular Service to facilitate your return to Sri Lanka. We are issuing today three important documents, birth certificates, citizenship certificates for children born outside Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan passports. The Government of Sri Lanka, having considered a recommendation by this Mission, has decided to issue Machine Readable proper passports to those displaced people who reside in Tamil Nadu camps and outside instead of a temporary certificate. We are issuing all these documents without charging any statutory fee. This is a special gesture by the Government of Sri Lanka for the returning Sri Lankan nationals.
Ladies and Gentlemen, at this moment I should not fail to appreciate with gratitude the magnanimity of the State Government of Tamil Nadu for their providing of numerous relief measures for our nationals residing in the camps. Sri Lanka is very much appreciative of the kind gesture of the State of Tamil Nadu and the Government of India in accommodating this displaced population for so many years. I wish to take this opportunity to appreciate the valuable cooperation that my office has been receiving from the Commissionerate of Rehabilitation in the welfare of Sri Lankan nationals living in the Tamil Nadu camps. I also must appreciate and thank the OfERR and Mr. Chandrahassan for their commitment to work with this community for years and facilitate their return in collaboration with this Mission. The role that is being played by the UNHCR in facilitating the returning process is also greatly appreciated.
Ladies and Gentlemen, on this occasion, I wish to touch, briefly though, on the process of re-building the country and the national reconciliation endeavour.
- The Eastern Province is being re-built through a mega development programme termed “Eastern Re-awakening” or “Kilakkin Udhayam” The Northern Province is being re-built with another mega development programme termed “Northern Spring” or “Vadakkin Wasantham”. These two provinces have recorded 22% growth rate in the year 2010. The Northern Province had recorded a growth rate of 27% in the year 2011. The Government has infused more than US $ 6 billion for the development of these two provinces since the end of the conflict. Never before Sri Lanka had such a huge regional focus in our development strategy.
- The civil administration system in the North and the East is fully functional with government officials at the districts, divisional and grassroots level being appointed.
- Both in the North and the East, elections for the Local Government Bodies were held. The election for the Eastern Provincial Council was held for the second time. The Provincial Council election for the North will also follow.
- All the IDPs numbering 295,000 have been re-settled and no more IDP camps. The military presence in the North has been drastically reduced. The claim of militarization is only an academic theme. There are no soldiers at every house or under every tree as claimed by the anti-Sri Lanka elements.
- Probably, by the time some of you left the country, Tamil was not an official language. But, now it is an official language on par with the Sinhala language. The trilingualism is the national policy of the Government which is pursued more vigorously now.
- The reconstruction of the Northern railway line, which was totally destroyed by the LTTE, is now under way. Soon you will get the opportunity, once again, to go on your dream journey in the iconic Yal Devi from Colombo to Jaffna.
My fellow Sri Lankans, this is the new Sri Lanka that you are planning to return. The Government of Sri Lanka is endeavouring to make this return more meaningful to you, being mindful of your hope for a new life back in Sri Lanka. I wish you - all the best and success in your “coming home” to Sri Lanka.
To conclude, I wish to appreciate the services and commitment of the Mission staff in organizing and conducting this Special Consular Service.
Thank you.
