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| Sri Lanka accelerating return of displaced: UN |
| Betwa Sharma/PTI / United Nations Nov 07, 2009, 13:05 IST |
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About 90,000 internally displaced persons have returned home in Sri Lanka's north and eastern parts during the past three months, the United Nations refugee agency has said.
"During the last two weeks alone, some 39,000 people have returned as part of the government's efforts to accelerate the process," Andrej Mahecic, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) spokesperson, told journalists.
The majority of people returned to the districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara. Small numbers have also gone back to the Polonnaruwa district, according to the UNHCR.
In addition, some 16,500 persons have been released from the camps and are now accommodated with host families, it said.
Some 274,000 people were displaced during the final months of the conflict in Sri Lanka and then accommodated in closed camps in the Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mannar and Trincomalee districts.
The conditions in the refugee camps led to strong international criticism for human rights violations on the part of Sri Lankan government.
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