Lankan refugees in TN

"In spite of the ethnic and cultural proximity the refugees have little interaction with the local public. Outsiders are not allowed to visit the camps and there have been a number of incidences of broken family, which have led to social problems."

by Syed Ali Mujtaba

(September 25, Chennai, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Eelam war in Sri Lanka is entering a decisive phase. A string of defeats by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam has exposed its vulnerability to sustain the war for a long time to come. On the other hand, some spectacular victories by the Sri Lankan armed forces suggest that the Northern provinces would soon be amalgamated into the Sri Lankan State. If and when that happens, it remains to be seen what kind of devolution of power the Sinhala government offers to its Tamil citizens that have been waging a war for it for over two decades now.

As far as India is concerned, its hands-off policy towards Sri Lanka has led the Elam war to drift towards the one nation state concept. However, India has stakes in the welfare of the Sri Lanka Tamils because the disturbed conditions in the Island nation have ominous portents on the Indian soil. One among them being the presence of large number of Tamil refugees living in camps spread across Tamil Nadu and Orissa. It would be in India 's interest to have them repatriated at the earliest to Sri Lanka so that the burden on the government's exchequer could be eased to some extent.

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees that are residing in Tamil Nadu could be classified into four categories. One, who are living in the camps set up by the Tamil Nadu government. Second, those staying with their relatives, friends or even independently; third, those who are a security threat and are kept in the special camps. Fourth, those who come with valid travel document but continue to stay by renewing their visas.

Sri Lankan Tamil refugees have been coming into Tamil Nadu in several phases. The first phase was 1983-87 when 1, 48,000 refugees arrived. They started coming in the aftermath of the Colombo riots that broke out in 1983. Many however, left Tamil Nadu following the 1987 India-Sri Lanka accord.

The second batch of refugees, nearly 1, 22,000 came during 1989-91. This followed the return of the IPKF from Sri Lanka and the resumption of hostilities in the Island nation. In the third phase; 1996-2005 about 22,000 refugees arrived and in 2006, when the hostilities escalated the numbers grew by another 18,600.

In the aftermath of the India-Sri Lanka accord-1987-89, some 25,000 refugees voluntarily returned to the Island . However, many stayed back and some left for Europe and other destinations.

Following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the then Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha ordered the closure of 50 camps during 1992 to 95 and forcibly sent 52,180 refugees back to Sri Lanka . After the ceasefire agreement in 2002 between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, about 6,000 left Tamil Nadu for back home.

The Tamil refugees are staying in 123 camps located in different spots of Tamil Nadu. There are two camps also in Orissa. These were set up to house those who supported the IPKF and after its withdrawal had to leave Sri Lanka too.

As of now there are about 71,600 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees staying in the camps. However, it's estimated that another 20,000 to 100,000 refugees are living outside these camps. The refugees have had to face a number of hardships while traveling to Tamil Nadu. They end up paying huge amounts of money to be dropped near the Indian waters, from where they are picked up by the Indian fishermen, who then clandestinely ferry them to the knee- deep waters of the Indian shores.

Sometimes the Sri Lankan refugees are dropped on the sand dunes that emerge in the water during low tide. Those who are not picked up from there get washed away in the sea during the high tide which inundates the dunes. On an average, a journey from Sri Lanka to India would cost anywhere between Rs 30,000 and 50,000 other than the discomfort and humiliation.

On arrival the refugees have to undergo a mandatory police screening. This is extremely essential because the LTTE itself exploit the refugee channel and infiltrate into India . Given the large influx of refugees, the police find it difficult to segregate the genuine cases from those connected with the LTTE. The exercise is clearly justified by the sheer example that six of the accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case belonged to these camps.

The camps by and large are in a pathetic state barring Mandapam camp in Rameswaran, which has a proper inbuilt infrastructure since British days as it had housed the enchanted labourers to be sent to Sri Lankan plantation areas. Other than no infrastructure and hygiene, there are little medical care facilities for the inmates.

The government, however, gives all adult Sri Lankan refugees Rs 800 per month, the amount recently hiked from Rs 400. The refugees are allowed to take up employment and are allowed to work from 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Most of them work on the railway track that's being converted from meter gauge to the broad gauge between Rameswaram and Madurai, while others work at brick kilning, cable laying, basket making etc.

One of the main problems being faced is education for the children living in these camps, with inadequate primary and secondary education facilities. However, the situation is far better now since these camps were set up. The Tamil Nadu government has recently not only announced five seats for the refugees children in the state-run professional colleges but has directed government-aided colleges to enroll students who have refugee status.

In spite of the ethnic and cultural proximity the refugees have little interaction with the local public. Outsiders are not allowed to visit the camps and there have been a number of incidences of broken family, which have led to social problems. The camps to outsiders look like open prison due to the strict vigilance of the police.

However, there is no denying that the Sri Lankan refuges are a much better lot in comparison to their counterparts elsewhere. However, their sheer presence has thrown up challenges before the government, already faced with its own plethora of problems. There is need to formulate a policy with regard to the refugees. India would do well to sign the refugees' convention and allow the UNCHR and NGOs to play a role in dealing with them. It should look at the issue from a humanitarian angle and not as leverage to its foreign policy. Perhaps it should go a step further and initiate a security dialogue with Lankan Government for an early repatriation of the refugees.

It would be worthwhile to mention here that in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination, there was an upsurge against the Sikh community in Delhi and elsewhere, whereas during Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, not a single Sri Lankan Tamil refugee camp was touched in Tamil Nadu. This, in spite of the fact that six persons involved in his killing were registered members of the refugee camps. Perhaps it's a reflection on the character of the people, who live across the Vindhayas. - Sri Lanka Guardian