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The extended duration of the fighting and the brutality of the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan Army had terrible condequences for the Sril Lankan people. As a result of these attacks and reprisals, there were significant civilian casuakties. Land mines were a serious problems. As a result of attacks and threats on civilains and reprisals, people began fleeing the conflict areas (northern Sri Lanka and northeastern coastal area). Camps had to be set up to assist the refugees. This occurred both in Sri Lanka and southern India. After the Sri Lankan Army achieved the upper hand, the problem of repatriating the civilians in refugee camps arose. The United Nations High Commissionr for Refugees (UNHCR) became involved in the resettlement effort. Some 1.5 million people over the more than to decades of fighting had been uprooted. U.N. officials me with both Sri Lankan Government officials and representatives of the Tamil Tigers. There were both internally displaced civilians and civilians in southern India (Tamil Nadu). There were also hundreds of thousands who sought refugee in Europe and North America, mostly Tamils. They had become one of the western world’s largest groups of asylum seekers. The internally displaced in Sri Lanka were the easiest to resettle and many returned 'spontaneously' as security conditiins improved. Those in India and other countries were more difficult to repatriate.
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