Marking the World Refugee Day that falls on June 20, The UNHCR noted that since 2010, some 2,900 refugees, mainly from Tamil Nadu in India, have returned with the help of UNHCR, In addition, over 2,000 refugees returned on their own accord.
According to UNHCR's latest Global Trends statistics for 2010 just released, there are 141,063 Sri Lankan refugees and 8,563 Sri Lankan asylum seekers in different countries around the world. A majority of Sri Lankan refugees live in India.
The refugees continue to arrive in steady numbers, the UNHCR says.
Sri Lanka also provides shelter to refugees and asylum seekers, although the numbers are very small compared to most countries, UNHCR's Representative Michael Zwack said.
"It is little known by most Sri Lankans that there are refugees and people seeking asylum in Sri Lanka," Zwack has said.
Currently the country hosts 236 registered refugees and 141 asylum seekers, according to the UNHCR.
The Representative appreciated the good cooperation his agency receives from the Sri Lankan government.
"We appreciate that UNHCR has good cooperation from the government while these refugees are here awaiting a long-lasting solution to their plight," he has said.
According to the UNHCR, currently there are over 43 million refugees displaced by violence around the world and a vast majority of about 80 percent is sheltered in developing countries.
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