The United Nations refugee agency or UNHCR states that the number of Sri Lankan refugees returning to the country dropped by nearly 51 percent during 2013.

The UNHCR notes that the number of refugees that have been returning from various countries has been declining since 2011.

They note that while 1,480 persons voluntarily repatriated to Sri Lanka in 2012, only 718 refugees returned to Sri Lanka in 2013.

According to 2013 estimates of the UNHCR, there are 124,436 Sri Lankan refugees globally.

The UNHCR adds that most of the refugees were returning from camps in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu and that they had assisted over 5000 refugees in their repatriations efforts since end of the war in may 2009.

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