Sri Lankan Tamils flee to Indian shores

Chennai: More than 500 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees have sought refuge in Tamil Nadu since January following outbreaks of violence in the island nation, a senior official has said.

However, the Tamil Nadu Government is unperturbed by the illegal influx and prepared to tackle the issue if the need arises, G.A. Rajkumar, Special Commissioner and Commissioner of Rehabilitation, TN government, told Gulf News.

"Five hundred refugees have landed in Tamil Nadu since January 12. However, the problem is not grave because the numbers are not in the range of tens of thousands. But, we are prepared to meet any eventuality and accommodate thousands if the need arises, he said.

The Indian Government spends nearly Rs280 million annually to house, feed and clothe the existing population of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu; just Rs110 million of the funds goes towards cash doles, admitted Rajkumar.

Sri Lankan Tamils have been fleeing to neighbouring Tamil Nadu; the place of their forefathers, from 1983, when ethnic violence reared its head. Their traditional escape route into India is a three-hour boat journey to the shores of the temple town of Rameshwaram.

This new influx of Tamil refugees marks the fourth phase of their illegal entry into India, since ethnic clashes first broke out in Sri Lanka in 1983.

Refugees fleeing to India this time are largely young couples, he said. They are a vulnerable group targeted not just by the Sri Lankan military as suspected militants in a volatile atmosphere but they are under pressure to join hands with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). "They feel safe here, free from the gunfire and the military harassment," he said.

Periodic violence has broken out in Sri Lanka since November last year after the takeover of Mahinda Rajpakse as President. However, the recent talks in Geneva between Colombo and the Tamil Tigers is a positive sign, said Rajkumar.

More than 60,000 people have lost their lives due to ethnic violence in Sri Lanka. Rajkumar does not rule out the possibility of LTTE militants entering the country in the guise of refugees. "We are very alert on the issue and suspects are dispatched to a special camp in Kancheepuram where 11 suspected LTTE militants are presently housed."

Tamil Nadu houses nearly 103 Sri Lankan refugee camps spread over 23 districts in the state, he said. Of the 79,000 refugees who had illegally entered the state since 1983, more than 50,800 refugees still reside in the state today.

The largest number of Tamil refugees, 103,400 had landed in Tamil Nadu during the first phase between 1983-87. The third and last phase had ended in 2003. Now after a span of two years, the Lankan Tamils are back knocking on the doors of their fellow Tamilians.