The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a key party in the ruling coalition led by President Maithripala Sirisena, said it would oppose the resettlement of Tamil refugees from the North-East who fled to India during the armed conflict, reported the Daily Mirror.
Speaking to media on Friday, national organiser Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe said according to an agreement Sri Lanka signed with India's ambassador to Colombo JN Dixit in 1986, India would grant citizenship to the recent Tamil refugees while Sri Lanka agreed to grant citizenship to Tamils of Indian origin, who have lived on the island for decades.
Mr Warnasinghe said if refugees were resettled in their homes in the NOrth-East, this agreement would be breached.
“TNA parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran has said Tamil refugees living in India should be resettled in Sri Lanka but such a move will be a breach of the agreement signed in 1986,” he said.