5 more SL refugees reach Rameswaram seeking asylum

MADURAI: Five Sri Lankan refugees reached the North seashore in Rameswaram early on Monday, seeking asylum.

They migrated from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu’s coastal Ramanathapuram district for economic reasons.

The refugees boarded a boat and reached Rameswaram in a clandestine manner at around 1.30 am, sources said.

S Kanagaraj, Inspector of Police, Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group, Rameswaram, after enquiring said the refugees are a single family from Kilinochchi district, Sri Lanka.

The refugees have been identified as P Bharathi (42), Bhavana Krushanthan (17), Bhavana Arul (15), Bhavana Prithika (10) and Muniyamma (75), wife of Ramachandren, the Inspector said.

Sources said the refugees paid a sum of Rs 4 lakh to reach Rameswaram. They were in possession of their luggage to carry their personal clothes.

After completing formal investigations by various agencies, the refugees were taken to Mandapam rehabilitation camp for accommodation, sources said.