MADURAI: Fleeing an economic crisis that shows no signs of easing, 19 Sri Lankan refugees, in two batches, arrived at Rameswaram on Sunday, saying they had sold all their belongings to pay for their passage. They are in the Mandapam camp now. The number of Lankan refugees who have arrived in the coast town since March 22 is now 39.
The first group of 10 people including two infants from Trincomalee travelled by road to Mannar and then took a fibre boat, paying 2 lakh per family.
Survival impossible in island nation: Refugees
They were dropped in Arichalmunnai off the coast of Dhanushkodi around 2am on Sunday. They lay there in the boat, bobbing in the water, before the marine police brought them ashore in a Coast Guard hovercraft. They were later taken to the Mandapam camp.
Shopkeepers in Dhanushkodi offered food and water to the Sri Lankans who told police they undertook the dangerous journey with their children as survival was impossible in the island nation. The 10 were members of three families Nirosan, 28, his wife Sutha, 34, and their sons Vithustiga, 13, Ajay, 12, and Abinayan, 2,; Delaxtion, 26, and his wife Delaxana, 21,; Srikaran, 27, his wife Barina, 24, and daughter Sinsika, 5.
Sutha said her husband, an auto driver, was finding it difficult to find even fuel for his vehicle. "Our corrupt politicians have led to our livelihood and lives being affected," said another refugee, who did not want to be named. Another man said, "We have sold all our belongings including televisions, fridges, mixies and furniture to pay for this trip."
The other group Eswaran, 38, his wife Arumugam Sasikala, 32, sons Dwarakan,12, and Naveen,11,; C Kamalendran, 41, of Mullaiteevu, Micheal Skams, 32, of Jaffna, Iganatius Mary, 44, of Mullaiteevu, Kodeeswaran, 26, and Kasturi of Vavuniya arrived near the Kothandaramar temple, but was undetected by the marine police or Coast Guard. All of them walked to the main road and took an autorickshaw to the Mandapam camp. They were later interrogated by the marine police.
The first batch of 16 refugees, in two batches, arrived by illegal ferry in Rameswaram on March 22, after which there was a lull before four more arrived on April 8.
