Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the government of Sri Lanka or the Cabinet of Ministers has not made any decision to offer Sri Lankan citizenship to any Rohingya refugee.
"What Sri Lanka can offer is humanitarian assistance and 'lodging' until they find refugee status in another country," Ranawaka said, in a social media statement, a short while ago.
"If a foreign refugee seeks Sri Lankan citizenship, it has to be sanctioned by President Maithripala Sirisena who is also the Defence Minister of the country," the Minister explained.
He said some Rohingya refugees are temporarily accommodated in Sri Lanka due to the involvement of the UNHCR.
The understanding with the UNHCR, according to the Minister, was reached by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa in December, 2005.
Ranawaka said some political orphans were trying to paint a wrong picture saying that the government was planning to permanently accommodate Rohingya refugees.
He said all international agencies involved, including the UNHCR, should expedite measures to find them refuge elsewhere, without attempting to assimilate them into the Sri Lankan society.
