RAMESWARAM: A Sri Lankan Tamil couple with disabilities and their two children reached Cherakottai shores near Dhanushkodi seeking refuge on Monday. Upon information, Marine police reached the spot and provided the family with primary aid. The refugees were identified as Janarthanan (39), his wife Praveena (36) and their children Sudharsan (9) and Sudhison (5).
Preliminary inquiry revealed that the family hailed from Thirukadaloor in Trincomalee and decided to flee the country as they had been struggling to eke out a living amidst the surging inflation rates. They reportedly told police that the crisis in the island nation was particularly hard on them as the couple had disabilities.
The family boarded a boat in Thalaimannar late on Sunday night and reached Cherakottai in the wee hours of Monday. The number of refugees from Sri Lanka reaching Tamil Nadu since March 2022 has now risen to 188.