RAMESWARAM: As many as 12 Sri Lankan Tamils, including two families, arrived in Dhanushkodi seeking refuge on Tuesday. The two families were rescued from the 4th Sandbar near Dhanushkodi by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and handed over to the marine police for inquiry.
Marine department officials said the Sri Lankan Tamils who were found to be from Jaffna and Batticaloa regions, earlier arrived in Mannar region, "They were ferried around 3 am to the 4th sandbar near Dhanushkodi, but were stranded there for a couple of hours without food or water. All 12 have been lodged at Mandapam refugee camp," added officials.
Sources said the first family includes Kalaikumar (33), his wife Anandhini (31), children Sulochan (12) Sulokchana (11), and their relative Thilagammal (68) hailing from Jaffna region. The second family was identified as Sasikaran (35), his wife Kalaiselvi (30) and their children Jenistika (10), Hamshika (9), Shasmika (5) and Pranavan (6) hailing from Batticaloa region. The 12th person was identified as Kayilayapillai (54) from Jaffna.
"We were staying at the refugee camp in Tiruchy till we returned to Sri Lanka in 2019. As we were daily wage workers, my husband could not find any job amid the massive inflation in our country. Tired of the hardship, we decided to come back to India for a better life. We paid the boat owners all the money we had and even my mother's earring to help us reach India," said Anandhini.
The total number of Sri Lankan Tamils arriving in India seeking refugee has increased to 170 in Ramanathapuram.