IF there is one constant refrain among the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu – their inflow began in 1983 – it is that they do not want to return until a permanent solution is found to the ethnic conflict back home. This was conveyed to Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, Sri Lanka’s Minister of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees, when he visited the refugee camps at Puzhal near Chennai and Palar Anaikattu near Vellore on June 27. Jayawardena told Frontline: “We are not hurrying the return of the refugees because we have not yet achieved peace and we have not arrived at a final solution (to the ethnic conflict). We have created a healthy environment by signing the ceasefire agreement with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). From February 24, it has worked well.”