Rajapakse happy for Tamils to leave Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has told a Cabinet meeting that he would not be averse to Canada and the European countries granting asylum to the internally displaced Tamil civilians.

However, according to Daily Mirror newspaper, Rajapakse told his ministers that he would not allow Tamils to go to India anymore because that country was not willing to accommodate them.

“Canada has pledged to accept any number of IDPs (Interanlly Displaced People). I do not mind these countries putting up visa offices in the welfare camps to facilitate people willing to leave the country,” Daily Mirror quoted Rajapakse as saying.

According to the paper, Rajapakse charged foreign diplomatic missions of making malicious allegations against Sri Lanka. 

Rajapakse pointed out that the US State Department had now put up a news item regarding some Sri Lankan soldiers who were facing charges during their peace keeping mission in Haiti a few months ago, Daily Mirror further said.