4 SL 'refugees' arrive at Mandapam; probe underway

RAMESWARAM: Four Sri Lankan Tamils on Saturday arrived at the Mandapam district of Tamil Nadu's Ramanathapuram and claimed to be 'refugees', the police said.

All four persons belong to the same family and have been identified as Jayamalini (50), Pathurjan (son- 26), Hamsigan (son- 22), and Padushika (daughter-19), who were the residents of Trikonamalai in Sri Lanka.

Acccording to the information, the family arrived at the Rameswaram beach area at 4 am via boat.

The family was registered in Mandapam camp from 2006 to 2019, from where they directly went to the Coastal Security Group Police Station and declared that they have come as refugees.

According to the Q branch police, as many as 134 people have come from Sri Lanka so far.

The Central State Intelligence, Q Division Police, and the Coastal Security Group Police are interrogating the persons who arrived today.

Earlier on Wednesday nine fishermen travelling in a boat from the coastal district of Tamil Nadu were arrested for allegedly trespassing and fishing in Sri Lankan waters.

The Rameswaram Police then said that the arrested fishermen from Nagapattinam were being taken to Trincomalee port.

Earlier this month, Sri Lankan Navy rescued six Indian fishermen who were stranded after their boat drifted in Lankan waters due to a glitch.

These fishermen hailing from Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram had gone into the sea for fishing. Around 532 boats from Rameswaram fishing harbour left for the sea.

But the boat owned by Sagear Pandian developed a mechanical snag in the Palk Bay area, the Indian-Sri Lankan sea border.

The owner of the boat then dispatched a rescue vessel from the Rameswaram Fisheries harbour to bring the stranded fishermen and the boat after getting permission from the rescue team.

The Sri Lankan Navy pulled Rameswaram fishermen's boat with a rope and handed it over to the fishermen who came in the rescue vessel and sent them.

The stranded fishermen alongwith the boat were sent back to Tamil Nadu.