Colombo:
Will Sri Lanka's 2.7 lakh Tamil war refugees be resettled by New Year's?
That is the assurance President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave the United Nations on Friday, saying all Tamil refugees would have homes in the country's north and east within four months, with the new demining equipments in use.
"We have identified areas for resettlement and the people will be sent back no sooner than they are cleared," Rajapaksa told B Lynn Pascoe, the UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs. The senior had toured camps set up for internally displaced Tamils and expressed concern over their plight.
"We do not intend taking so much time. I have laid down an initial target of 180 days to resettle at least 70 per cent of the IDPs," Rajapaksa said during the 45-minute meeting.
Rajapaksa added that his country would not succumb to 'bullying' by powerful nations, apparently taking a sharp dig at nations like the UK and US, who have been severely critical of the Lanka government's slow pace of resettling refugees.
"Whether it is the US, China, Britain or any country we are all members of the UN. When the UN says anything about us we take it seriously. Similarly if big countries, try to bully us we will come to the UN about such matters," he said.
That is the assurance President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave the United Nations on Friday, saying all Tamil refugees would have homes in the country's north and east within four months, with the new demining equipments in use.
"We have identified areas for resettlement and the people will be sent back no sooner than they are cleared," Rajapaksa told B Lynn Pascoe, the UN Under Secretary General for Political Affairs. The senior had toured camps set up for internally displaced Tamils and expressed concern over their plight.
"We do not intend taking so much time. I have laid down an initial target of 180 days to resettle at least 70 per cent of the IDPs," Rajapaksa said during the 45-minute meeting.
Rajapaksa added that his country would not succumb to 'bullying' by powerful nations, apparently taking a sharp dig at nations like the UK and US, who have been severely critical of the Lanka government's slow pace of resettling refugees.
"Whether it is the US, China, Britain or any country we are all members of the UN. When the UN says anything about us we take it seriously. Similarly if big countries, try to bully us we will come to the UN about such matters," he said.
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