A Sri Lankan Tamil refugee rehabilitation organisation has sought a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Sri Lanka and India to facilitate and expedite the return of the refugees to the island nation, media reports said.

In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, S C Chandrahasan, Treasurer of the Organization for Elangai Refugees’ Rehabilitation (Ceylon), has pointed out that around 65,000 Lankan Tamil refugees living in 110 camps in Tamil Nadu were to return to Lanka by 2012. However, so far only about 8,000 have returned.

Since the slow pace is attributed to some serious concerns raised by the refugees, guarantees need to be given by both Colombo and New Delhi, Chandrahasan has said. “These could be incorporated in a Memorandum of Understanding between Lanka and India,” he has suggested.

Allaying fears expressed by Sri Lanka of the return of militants in the guise of refugees, Chandrahasan has said that due to their long stay in India, refugee youths value democracy and non-violence. With over 3,000 graduates among them, the refugees could contribute to reconciliation and democracy in Sri Lanka, he has added.

When the Tamil population in Lanka is dwindling due to migration, and lands may change hands, a Mannai Meetpom (Let’s Regain Our Land) movement is called for, and facilitation of the refugees’ return is part of it, Chandrahasan has told The New Indian Express.

Organization for Elangai Refugees’ Rehabilitation (Ceylon) has been working in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka for the past 30 years