Sri Lanka Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tilak Marapana says that, arrangements will be made to bring back the Sri Lankans who are not eligible for citizenship in Australia and detained in Australia’s offshore detention centers in South Pacific islands of Christmas Island, Papua New Guinea, and Nauru.
The Minister announced this in response to a question raised by UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana in parliament today (18th) whether the government has taken measures to bring the large number of Sri Lankans who went to Australia illegally by boat in and are in detention camps back to the country.
Replying to the MP’s question on the number of Sri Lankans detained in the camps, Minister Marapana said there are 12 Sri Lankan citizens in Christmas Island, 21 in Papua New Guinea, 70 in the islands of Australia, and 94 in Nauru.
The Minister said that Sri Lankan citizenship of the asylum seekers should be proven before the arrival in Sri Lanka and the process would take some time.
