I have the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter No. CIT/ICP/62 of date, which reads as follows :
“I have the honour to refer to the discussions which we have had from the 24th to the 30th October, 1964 regarding the status and
future of persons of Indian origin in Ceylon and to refer to the main heads of agreement between us which are as follows :
(1) The declared objective of this agreement is that all persons of Indian origin in Ceylon who have not been recognised either as
citizens of Ceylon or as citizens of India should become citizens either of Ceylon or of India.
(2) The number of such persons is approximately 975,000 as of date. This figure does not include illicit immigrants and Indian passport
holders.
(3) 300,000 of these persons together with the natural increase in that number will be granted Ceylon citizenship by the Government
of Ceylon; the Government of India will accept repatriation to India of 525,000 of these persons together with the natural increase
in that number. The Government of India will confer citizenship on these persons.
(4) The status and future of the remaining 150,000 of these persons will be the subject matter of a separate agreement between the
two governments.
(5) The Government of India will accept repatriation of the persons to be repatriated within a period of 15 years from the date of
this Agreement according to a programme as evenly phased as possible.
(6) The grant of Ceylon citizenship under paragraph 3 and the process of repatriation under paragraph 5 shall both be phased over
the period of 15 years and shall, as far as possible, keep pace with each other in proportion to the relative numbers to be granted
citizenship and to be repatriated respectively.
(7) The Government of Ceylon will grant to the persons to be repatriated to India during the period of their residence in Ceylon
the same facilities as are enjoyed by citizens of other states except facilities for remittances and normal facilities for their
continued residence, including free visas. The Government of Ceylon agrees that such of these persons as are gainfully employed
on the date of this Agreement shall continue in their employment until the date of their repatriation in accordance with the date
of their repatriation in accordance with the requirements of the phased programme or until they attain the age of 55 years, whichever
is earlier.
(8) Subject to the Exchange Control Regulations for the time being in force which will not be discriminatory against the persons
to be repatriated to India, the Government of Ceylon agrees to permit these parsons to repatriate, at the time of their final departure
for India, all their assets including their Provident Fund and gratuity amounts. The Government of Ceylon agrees that the maximum
amount of assets which any family shall be permitted to repatriate shall not be reduced to less than Rs. 4,000.
(9) Two registers will be prepared as early as possible, one containing the names of persons who will be granted Ceylon citizenship,
the other containing the names of persons to be repatriated to India. The completion of these registers, however, is not a condition
precedent to the commencement of the grant of Ceylon citizenship and the process of repatriation.
(10) This Agreement shall come into force with effect from the date hereof and the two Governments shall proceed with all despatch
to implement this Agreement and, to that end, the officials of the two Governments shall meet as soon as possible to establish joint
machinery and to formulate the appropriate procedures for the implementation of this Agreement.
I have the honour to propose that the above sets out correctly the Agreement reached between us. My letter and your reply thereto
shall constitute an Agreement between the Government of India and the Government of Ceylon.
Accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.”
I have the honour to confirm that the above correctly sets out the Agreement reached between us. Your letter and my reply thereto
shall constitute an Agreement between the Government of India and the Government of Ceylon.
Accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration.
Yours sincerely,
Sd /-
LAL BAHADUR
Prime Minister of India.
Her Excellency
Sirimavo R.D.BANDARNAIKE,
Prime Minister of Ceylon,
New Delhi.
