Nineteen more refugees from Sri Lanka arrive in Tamilnadu
The largest batch of refugees from Sri Lanka since the outbreak of the economic crisis in the Island nation, comprising 19 persons belonging to five families, arrived on the shores of Dhanuskodi in South Tamil Nadu past midnight on Sunday.
The refugees including six children had travelled illegally on two boats and were dropped off at Arichalmunai, the last point on the Indian side in the South, on Saturday late night. The families then reportedly trekked to reach Dhanuskodi in the wee hours of Sunday.
In the past few weeks, three batches of Sri Lankans had arrived in Rameswaram clandestinely by boats. While the first batch of six persons were initially lodged at the Central Prison in Puzhal, Chennai, subsequently the State Government took an empathetical view and housed them in the Rehabilitation camp at Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district.
Later, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin wrote to the Centre requesting to permit it to send essentials and medicines to the Tamils in Sri Lanka but the Union Government is yet to respond.
The refugees who arrived on Sunday said many were starving in Sri Lanka due to the spiralling cost and unavailability of essential commodities in their country.