Colombo, Aug 19 (DPA) The government relocated 16,000 Tamil refugees after floods hit their camps in northern Sri Lanka, state officials said Wednesday.

The refugees were relocated from camps in Vavuniya, 260 km north of the capital, after heavy rains swept through the area for two days, officials from the ministry of resettlement said.

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake told parliament that the displaced were being relocated due to the unexpected onset of monsoon rains.

Heavy rains hit several parts of the country and the meteorology department said more rainfall was expected in the next few days.

The majority of the refugee camps are not capable of withstanding heavy rains, officials said, although they were capable of providing protection from the sun and ordinary rains.

Opposition parties and rights groups criticised the government for failing to resettle the displaced population ousted from their homes by recent conflict between the army and Tamil rebels.