New York, Nov 22 : UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday welcomed the Sri Lankan government’s decision to allow greater freedom of movement to people sheltering in makeshift camps in the north of the country.

There were more than 270,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) staying in closed camps in May after a final push by Government forces ended the decades-long civil war with separatist Tamil rebels.

In a message praising the release of over half of the IDPs from the camps since the end of military operations against the LTTE, Ban encouraged Sri Lankan authorities to prioritize the return home of the remaining people.

He also urged the government to continue working with the United Nations and its humanitarian partners to improve assistance programmes which support the return of IDPs and to ensure that the best possible services are provided to those who go home.