A survey by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, among the one-lakh-odd Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in India has found that 67 per cent of them want to remain in India.
Only 23 per cent of the 520 families surveyed wanted to return to the island nation, while four per cent wanted to migrate to a third country where they had relations, said the TISS survey. The study titled ‘Exploring Durable Solutions for Sri Lankan Tamil Refugees in India’ was released by Rafael Garcia, Country-Director of Adventist Development and Relief Agency, India, at the India International Centre here on Monday.
The most preferred destinations for those who want to go back are Mannar and Vavuniya. Their top three priorities are basic amenities and livelihood opportunities followed by safety.
Although 48.2 per cent of those who wish to return said they needed assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), only 12 per cent of them have approached the agency. K.M. Parivelan, who led the study, said this was because the UNHCR puts them on a flight home and does not provide the logistics for them to take their belongings back.
