VIRUDHUNAGAR: Although Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s alliance has seemingly won the confidence of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, scoring a landslide victory in the recent parliamentary polls, it has failed to evoke hopes of a brighter future in the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in TN. The island nation’s majoritarianism, chaotic political landscape and the economic crisis, continue to create fear and uncertainty among the refugees, preventing their return.
Dissanayake’s National People’s Power (NPP) party, a Sinhalese-majority coalition, made history by winning 159 of 225 seats, including districts dominated by Tamils, securing over a two-thirds majority. In the lead up to the polls, during a rally in Jaffna, the new Lankan President also made a significant promise, to take steps towards returning land occupied by the Sri Lankan government, especially the military, back to Tamil owners. The guarantee has struck a chord with the Tamils of the region.
However, the Lankan Tamil refugees, living in various camps across Tamil Nadu, have expressed they are not ready to trade their comfortable, peaceful lives for Dissanayake’s words of assurance.
Speaking to TNIE, V Balachandran, a 49-year-old refugee from the Sevalur camp said that he arrived on the shores of TN along with his family during the height of the civil war in Sri Lanka. Over the decades, the political culture of the island nation has been messy and the Lankan government has not handled the situation in a favourable manner, especially for the Tamils.
“We lived like nomads and faced many struggles during the war, before leaving to India in the early 90s. Still, in 2006, I was making arrangements to return to Sri Lanka with the help of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, out of love for my country. However, right then, the battle for Vakarai began, forcing me to permanently drop the idea for the welfare of my family,” he said.
Even if the current government takes measures to improve the living conditions of Tamils in Sri Lanka, it is a long process and one that is unlikely to endure past its term, Balachandran added.
Furthermore, the Lankan Tamil refugees remain skeptical of the effectiveness of reforms in tackling the country’s acute economic crisis.
“Most of my kin in Sri Lanka suggest I don’t return as they themselves are struggling to make ends meet. They said it is beyond the realm of possibility to land a job and eke out a living if we go back,” said Mohan Doss, a refugee from the Anaikuttam camp.
“However, in TN, we have houses with basic amenities, jobs and a reasonable income. Our grievances are also being addressed by officials,” he added, noting that many from his camp have already started taking steps towards securing an Indian citizenship with the help of the state government.