Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to satate :-

(a) whether the condition of the people of Tamil origin living in Sri Lanka is worrisome;

(b) whether it is a fact that more than one lakh forty thousand Tamilians residing in Sri Lanka have been killed till now;

(c) whether more than forty thousand Tamilians were killed within four days in 2009;

(d) whether there is grave resentment in India particularly in Tamil Nadu in connection with massacre of Tamils in Sri Lanka;

(e) If so, whether Government has held talks with Government of Sri Lanka for the safety of Tamilians and its political solution; and

(f) If so, the result thereof?

ANSWER: THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (SHRI E. AHAMED)

(a) to (f) The focus of Government, since the end of conflict in Sri Lanka, has been on the welfare and well being of the Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka. Their resettlement and rehabilitation have been of the highest and most immediate priority. Government has implemented and continues to implement a wide range of projects covering assistance for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the areas of housing, de-mining, education, connectivity, livelihood restoration, economic revival, etc. It may be noted that due to our engagement with the Government of Sri Lanka on reconstruction and other issues, a modicum of normalcy is returning to the Tamil areas in Sri Lanka. The representatives of Sri Lankan Tamils have informed that the assistance provided by the Government has greatly benefited the people in the area.

Government has taken note of various reports relating to the end of the conflict in Sri Lanka including the United Nations Secretary General’s Panel of Experts Report on Accountability in Sri Lanka and the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) set up by the Government of Sri Lanka. Government has called for implementation of the recommendations of the LLRC Report in a focussed and time bound manner to arrive at a lasting peace and genuine national reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Government has regularly been in dialogue with the Government of Sri Lanka in regard to finding a political solution to the issues facing the Tamils of Sri Lanka, and through which the Tamils can be assured equality and dignity as citizens of a united Sri Lanka.

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