India

SRI LANKAN TAMIL REFUGEES IN TAMILNADU: TROUBLE TO THE HOST

• There are tamil refugees presently living in 113 camps across 25 districts of Tamil Nadu,
• Approximately, 40,000 refugees are living outside the camps with or without Police or Superintendent of Police or Shastri Bahvan Registration, Overall, since the start of the civil war in Sri Lanka in 1983, about 335,000 refugees have come from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu.
• Eelam Tamil refugees have some restrictions in terms of work and education. They can access private sector jobs but not government jobs. This is a substantial limitation, given the size of the public sector. As well, government jobs tend to be more stable and better paying than private sector jobs.
• Problems are similar in other camps. All of the camps were built at the end of 1980s. After that they were not repaired. Mostly, they are 10 Ft. / 10 Ft. rooms made of tiles or tar boards. They are called ’tile camp’ and ‘board camp’. Nobody can stay in board houses during the day time. Tile houses break and leak during rainy season.
• The government relief money provided to those registered as refugees is not enough. Since this is not possible, men and women engage in all possible work like construction work, carpentry and painting.
• Since they are refugees, they have no job security at their places of work. Two of Tamil Refugees hailing from Jaffna and living in Mandapam camp died due to electric shock while on work on June 6. No compensation was given. Camp authorities are also in the dark. In Paramathi camp, two refugees were hurt while on work when a tree fell and injured their backbones.
• Tamil Eelam refugees live in camps without their basic needs being fulfilled and in conditions not worth living.
• India should ensure access justice and education without discrimination to refugees and asylum seekers.

For more information on Sri Lankan Tamils in India click here