The Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse has urged expatriate Sri Lankans ‘from all communities’ to return to the island and support its growth.
Gotabhaya said the government was keen on creating an environment conducive for professionals to live and work in Sri Lanka, reported Colombo Gazette.
“Due to the uncertain situation that prevailed in the country from the 1980s until 2009 many of our best and brightest left Sri Lanka to seek greener pastures in other countries. Whether these individuals left to escape the conflict, pursue higher education, obtain more lucrative employment or enjoy a better quality of life, their departure was a serious loss to the nation,
"Now that Sri Lanka has overcome the problems it faced in the past and is poised for rapid and equitable growth, the time is ripe for expatriate Sri Lankans from all communities to consider coming back home,” he said.
Asylum policies are extensions of Sri Lanka’s repression - TG Editorial (16 Jan 2013)