10 Sri Lanka Tamils, including 3-month-old, arrive in Tamil Nadu  

RAMANATHAPURAM: Unable to bear the punishing economic distress in Sri Lanka, 10 more Tamils, including a three-month-old boy, fled the island nation and landed at Naduthurai islet near Dhanushkodi in Ramanathapuram district early on Saturday after undergoing a perilous journey for hours braving rough sea, lashing wind and pounding rain. 

According to sources, M Jeyakumar (45), his wife J Yogeshwari (42) and daughters J Tamilmathi (22) and J Kanimathi (15) of Mannar; R Pushpam (64) and her son R Prabhakar (43) of Mullai Theevu; and R Justin (42) his wife J Ausiya (31), daughter J Ansika (3) and three-month-old son J Anjithan of Yazhpanam commenced their journey on a fibre boat from Mannar on Friday night.

Speaking to reporters in Dhanushkodi, R Pushpam, a daily-wage labourer, said surviving in the island had become difficult for her, particularly with a son with a mental condition.

“The price of sugar has skyrocketed to 300 Sri Lankan Rupee (SLR) per kg and price of rice per kg is 250 SLR. There is also a shortage of medicines in government hospitals in Sri Lanka,” she said.

“Our boat ride in the dark was scary because of the rough sea and we were continuously battered by rainfall. We risked our lives thinking it is better to die on the boat than to live there. It was quite difficult to protect the three-month-old baby amid the heavy rain and strong winds, she said. 

“Each of us paid around 50,000 SLR to one lakh SLR for the boat ride,” Pushpam said. Upon information, the Rameswaram Marine Police reached the spot early on Saturday and took the refugees to the marine police station for interrogation.

Following inquiries by security officials, the refugees would be lodged at the Mandapam refugee camp. With this, the total number of Sri Lankan Tamils who reached Tamil Nadu seeking refuge since March 2022 has increased to 198.