E-Paper
Rao to visit Sri Lanka to assess rehabilitation for Tamils
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is arriving in Sri Lanka today on a three-day visit to get an overview the resettlement of three lakh war-displaced Tamil people in the north, which is being undertaken with aid from India.
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is arriving in Sri Lanka on Monday on a three-day visit to get an overview the resettlement of three lakh war-displaced Tamil people in the north, which is being undertaken with aid from India.
Rao will fly to Jaffna and Vavuniya on Tuesday to witness the process of resettlement in the former LTTE held areas.
She is expected to meet leaders from the Tamil National Alliance, Sri Lanka Workers Congress and other parties on Wednesday afternoon after visiting Trincomalee in the morning on that day.
Rao is expected to meet Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and foreign minister G L Peiris on Thursday before returning home.
New Delhi had stated recently that a senior official from the External Affairs Ministry would travel to the island nation for a first hand assessment of the Indian aid for relief and rehabilitation of the nearly three lakh displaced Tamil civilians.
The visit of Rao takes places days after the visit of a Sri Lankan delegation comprising of its Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa's, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Presidential Secretary Lalith Weerathunga to New Delhi last week.
It may be recalled that India has committed to build or renovate 50,000 houses for the Tamil speaking Displaced persons in the North and Eastern Sri Lanka.
