Speedy action on Citizenship Acts amendments

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka has directed officials to formulate a Cabinet Paper on the draft amendments to the Citizenship Acts No. 29 of 1988 and No. 35 of 2003 for Cabinet approval so that they could be submitted for Parliamentary approval soon. He directed officials to review the action plan recommended for granting Sri Lankan citizenship to people of Indian origin housed in Indian refugee camps and submit a Cabinet Paper for approval detailing any additional funds needed for the implementation of the plan. This followed a meeting the Prime Minister had with JVP Parliamentarian Ramalingam Chandrasekar, President of the Parliamentary Select Committee on granting Sri Lankan citizenship to people of Indian origin in Indian Refugee Camps and select committee member, Parliamentarian Bimal Ratnayake at the Prime Minister's office.

A press release issued by Parliamentarian Ramalingam Chandrasekar said the Prime Minister offered satisfactory solutions to all major problems raised at the meeting by them. The Prime Minister also emphasised the need for a sound programme of work to ensure that IDPs granted citizenship are systematically resettled without confining them to camps in Sri Lanka once again. The Prime Minister also assured that a proper legal and administrative framework would be put in place to ensure the speedy issue of identity cards to persons granted citizenship. At the meeting, Chandrasekar pointed out that nearly 28,500 of the 80,000 people of Indian origin living in Indian refugee camps have expressed desire to obtain Sri Lankan citizenship and an action plan for this purpose had been formulated jointly by Deputy High Commissioner A. Amsa and the Department for Registration of Persons of Indian origin.

The controller of Immigration and Emigration P. B. Abeykoon, Assistant Commissioner of the Department for the Registration of Persons of Indian origin, Secretary to the Prime Minister and other officials participated in the meeting.