Presidential Secretariat says that over 350 Tamils were reportedly sent to the north and east.

Human Rights watchdogs, parliamentarians and religious organisations have described the move as “ethnic cleansing”.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered an investigation “to ascertain the basis for this security related operation,” a statement issued by the Secretariat said.

At least 186 Tamils out of 262 Tamils sent to Vavuniya are about to be transport back to Colombo, regional authorities say.

Many of them questioned whether they are treated as Sri Lankan citizens.

Some of the evicted Tamils spoke to the BBC:

My name is Amalanayagan.

I have been working in Saudi Arabia for seven years. I was staying in a lodge in Wellawatta after visiting Jaffna where I got married.

I had my passport, my previous visa issued by Saudi Arabia and other relevant documents. When police came in early morning, I showed them all the documents. I appealed them to stay until I get visa to go back to Saudi Arabia.

But they said the security situation is not good and I have to leave the lodge. And they took me to Vavuniya by bus.

Now I simply do not know what to do. I need to go back to my job but cannot go to Colombo as they might once again send me back to Vavuniya.

They told me if I get caught once again in the lodge I will be sent back to Jaffna. I have nothing to do in Jaffna. I am afraid; I do not know what to do.

Suppiah Vijayagamam, worker in Wellawatta

I have been working in the “Ideal” lodge for three years. Police has constantly been checking, arresting and later releasing us.

On Thursday morning, they came about 4am. I haven’t had anything to eat or drink as I just came back from the night shift. When they asked us to got to Vavuniya, I told them that I am from Hatton and let me go to Hatton.

They refused and send us all to Vavuniya.

Amalanayagan and Suppiah spoke to the BBC on Friday. Some other civilians spoke to the BBC while being transported from Colombo on Thursday.

My name is Sindubalan and I'm working in Colombo.

I was living in a lodge at Modera, Colombo when the police came in at about 4 am.

We have already registered and had the receipts. When the police came and enquired us where we are from, we told them we are from Vavuniya.

I said I'm working here, then they asked me what about the other person who is staying with you.

We said he is staying here for leaving to abroad and all his things will be set right in 2 days. They then said, you cannot live like this, the President’s order is that you all have to go back to your own places, the buses have arrived and you have to leave.

So we packed our things and started walking on the road, at that moment a lorry came ahead, they made us board the lorry.

Like us in another 2 Lorries, buses people where boarded and taken away. They said we are being taken to Vavuniya but we do not know where we are being taken. At the moment we are at Dambulla.

After taking to Vavuniya, we don't know what they are going to do. They said you cannot live in Colombo because LTTE had infiltrated the city, therefore Tamil youths cannot stay here and they took away even screaming youngsters.

If the Tamils situation is like this, we cannot live in our own country itself, what do we do?. Because there was problem in the north and east we came to Colombo, now they are sending us back, this is like pushing us in to the death path.

A 54-year Tamil woman evicted from a lodge:

Police didn't listen to us, they tried to beat us, they where scolding and they put us in to the vehicles, they didn't even allow us to drink tea.

When we saw people being caged in white van and taken away, we got scared and were hiding, even there they found us.

I am 54, we came here to send my son to Doha, the abroad sending process did not work out, and we were said it will work out by this month end. We told this to them, but they didn't listen to us.

A mother who has fled Jaffna due to the security situation:

We cannot keep our children's in Jaffna, because in one family they are killing two children or three children. If there is 4 male children, they are taking 2 children's, that's why we came here.

But now they are taking us in 'as we are' situation. We don't know where they are going to leave us. In Jaffna our relatives sons where shot dead, that's why we brought our two sons here.

Here today, they made us to leave the place, with whatever cloth we were dressed with, we didn't even take our clothes.