Fri May 30 15:38:07 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**Sri Lankan Refugee Detained on Return, Sparking Policy Debate**
Colombo – A 75-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil refugee returning from India after decades of displacement was detained at Palaly airport in Jaffna on May 29, 2025, for allegedly leaving Sri Lanka without a valid passport years ago. Despite holding UNHCR refugee status and clearance from other agencies, a local magistrate remanded him in custody for a week.
The detention has triggered concern, with former Jaffna MP M.A. Sumanthiran questioning whether it’s a government tactic to deter the approximately 10,000 other refugees registered to return from Tamil Nadu. Cabinet Minister Bimal Rathnayake responded, stating the detention was due to the automatic application of a law concerning emigration through non-legalized ports, a law he says the government plans to change. He emphasized that the detention did not reflect current government policy and referenced past efforts by his party to grant citizenship to Sri Lankan refugees.
S. Sooriyakumari, president of OfERR Ceylon, reported that over 700 refugees have successfully returned to Sri Lanka in the past two years. She stresses the need for a structured policy and comprehensive program, developed in consultation with law enforcement, to facilitate the safe and smooth return of Sri Lankan refugees from Tamil Nadu. An estimated 58,000 Sri Lankans remain in refugee camps in Tamil Nadu, with another 40,000 integrated into the local community.
First Piper 