June 10, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka today expressed 'regrets' over the eviction of Tamils from Colombo and said his government is taking the full responsibility over the matter.

“We regret and ready to take the responsibility over this unfortunate incident,” the Premier told a media briefing this evening in Colombo. He also said that “the government has to take responsibility for the good and bad deeds of its officers.”

Claiming that Inspector General of Police Victor Perera was asked to provide a full report by President Mahinda Rajapaksa regarding the matter, the Primer said that if someone found guilty necessary action would be taken against them.

Rejecting the claim by the Police that the Tamils had left Colombo on their own, the Prime Minister said that the police and military action was "wrong" and that minority Tamils had a right to live anywhere they pleased.

The IGP said that these people had expressed consent to go home if free transportation was provided and the government provided “safe transportation to 376 people out of over 20,000 Tamil lodgers" living in Colombo to their homes in North and East.

Friday Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa asked the IGP to submit an immediate report on the manner exercised to transport the Tamils from Colombo and promised disciplinary action against any wrongdoing on the part of any government official.