India lauds Lanka’s reconciliation efforts

Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna lauded the Sri Lankan government for commencing a structural dialogue on persuing a political solution for national reconciliation as well as reconstruction and development. “We will do whatever we can to support this process,” he said making a statement in the Lok Sabha on ‘The situation in Sri Lanka’ yesterday.

“Presently, our focus should be on the welfare and well-being of Tamils in Sri Lanka.

“Their rehabilitation and rebuilding should be of the highest and most immediate priority,” he said.

“A just and fair settlement of the political problem is of utmost importance.

“I have, nonetheless, stressed to my Sri Lankan counterpart, the need for an early withdrawal of emergency regulations, investigations into allegations of human rights violations, restoration of normalcy in affected areas and redress of humanitarian concerns of affected families,” Krishna said.

He also said the relationship between India and Sri Lanka is based upon shared historical, cultural, ethnic and civilizational ties and extensive people-to-people interaction.

“In recent years, the relationship has become multifaceted and diverse, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance,” Krishna said. He also said the Indian government has accorded the highest priority to the welfare of displaced persons in Sri Lanka.“In June 2009, the Prime Minister announced a grant of 500 crore Rupees for relief, rehabilitation and resettlement work in Sri Lanka. Towards this humanitarian effort, India dispatched family relief packs, deployed an emergency field hospital, conducted an artificial limb fitment camp and deployed seven de-mining teams in Northern Sri Lanka. It also gifted more than 10,400 MT of shelter material, four lakhs of bags of cement, 95,000 agricultural starter packs and 500 tractors to revive agricultural activities in Northern Sri Lanka,” he said.

“Our primary objective in all that we are doing in Sri Lanka is to ensure the welfare and well-being of Sri Lankan Tamils, including displaced persons and to assist in the development of Northern Sri Lanka. In a joint press statement issued on the occasion of the visit of the Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister to India on May 17, 2011, I urged the expeditious implementation of measures by the government of Sri Lanka to ensure resettlement and genuine reconciliation, including early return of displaced persons to their respective homes.

I am happy to convey to the House that according to information available to us, around 290,000 IDPs have already been resettled and only around 10,000 IDPs remain in the camps,” he said.