Tiruchy: Fortyone Sri Lankan Tamils, who had been lodged in special camps in Tamil Nadu for the past 20 years, returned to Sri Lanka from here on Wednesday.
Official sources said the islanders had been lodged at Tiruchy, Pudukkottai, Sivagangai, Namakkal, Karur, Tirunelveli camps. They were brought to the Tiruchy airport in the small hours of Wednesday. Later, they left by a Sri Lankan Airlines flight around 9.30 am.
The sources said since a conducive atmosphere is back in Sri Lanka, after Maithripala Sirisena took over as President, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the UN Relief and Rehabilitation Administration were taking steps to bring back Tamils to the island nation.
Following this, the state revenue and police departments cleared the exit of 41 Sri lankan Tamils. Based on this, the Sri Lankan high commission issued temporary passports to all the Tamils to enable them to reach their country, the sources added. Relatives hugged the Sri Lankan Tamils before they left for their homeland.
Ganesamoorthy, who was hitherto staying at a special camp at Karur, thanked Tamil Nadu for providing, food, shelter and clothing for them for the past 20 years.
