Germany helps Tamil refugees return

Consul General Achim Fabig said that the situation of Sri Lankan refugees was closely followed in Germany. “Last year, when UNHCR and German Consulate were speaking about these issues, there was a possibility to oversee the return of more than 400 people. So far, 240 have been repatriated. There is a sizeable community of Tamils in Germany. In that sense, the conflict has been transported to Germany, as there is knowledge about it. Germany is involved with the issue of migration and asylum of refugees, especially from the Middle East, which has gathered a lot of momentum in the past year. So, being able to facilitate the return of Sri Lankan refugees is an important step to help people regain their citizenship, give them the identity they deserve and lacked for years,” said Fabig, for whom the experience of handing out air tickets and documentation kits to the refugees was a personal one. “My grandparents were refugees from Czechoslovakia but they didn’t get to return. So, this was truly personal for me,” he added. 

The repatriation process is a purely voluntary one. Shuchita Mehta, Senior Public Information Assistant for UNHCR, said there was interest among refugees from Sri Lanka in India to go back to their country. “We help them with the documentation required to exit India and provide information on the place of return. If a refugee wants to go back to Sri Lanka, we take him or her through an interview process to ensure it is a voluntary decision. Once they land, UNHCR Sri Lanka provides support in settling down. Our colleagues receive them at the Colombo airport, provide reintegration grant and assist with transport grant to help refugees travel from Colombo to their homes. On reaching their homes, the refugees receive non-food items as assistance. Some of the refugees are concerned about their access to land, property, livelihood and education in Sri Lanka,” she added. 

For most of the refugees, an urge to provide a better life to their children prompted them to return to Sri Lanka. Mathivanan said, “With the help of my mother in law, we have found a school in Sri Lanka, where our children can study once we return.” 

Sivalingam, who has been living in Chennai for the past 26 years, said, “We decided to return to Sri Lanka, as we heard the conditions have improved.” 

For teenager Pradeep, his ailing mom draws him back to Sri Lanka. “I was born in Chennai but my mother recently went back to Sri Lanka. She is sick now and I decided to go back, get a job and take care of her,” he said.

2012: 1264 

2013: 711 

2014: 396

2015: 452