Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has informed Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi that he has impressed upon Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa the need for reconciliation among communities in Sri Lanka and for “practical arrangements,” including the devolution of powers to enable the minorities in Sri Lanka, particularly the Tamils, to lead a life of dignity.
In his reply written on June 10 to the Chief Minister, Dr Singh, who referred to Mr. Karunanidhi's letter of June 5, said that during his discussion with Mr. Rajapaksa on June 9, he raised the matter of rehabilitation of Tamils in Sri Lanka who were still in transit camps. The Sri Lankan President had assured him that 47,000 Tamils, still in the camps, would be resettled by the end of this year.
“We announced a joint initiative to construct 50,000 houses for internally displaced persons in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.”
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Besides, the Union government was working on projects and programmes for resettled families to be in a position to earn their own livelihood, the Prime Minister added.
In his letter, the Chief Minister had pointed out that the Government of Sri Lanka had promised to rehabilitate all Tamils in the transit camps before December 2009.