Amid increasing military brutality against Tamil civilians in government-controlled parts of Sri Lanka’s Northeast, there has been a sharp rise in people fleeing to LTTE-controlled areas and to southern India.
At least 2000 Tamils have already reached India and several hundred more are believed to be ready to leave Sri Lanka, official sources told PTI.
Two hundred and thirty four refugees have arrived in Rameshwaran on one day alone, Tuesday last week.
Public Relation Officer of the Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OFER), Mohan Sundarapandian, said that most of them were from Trincomalee where last month Sinhala rioters attacked Tamils whilst security forces stood by.
The refugees have said that they fled the country as they were helpless without security, PTI reported. They have also said that there was no security in Trincomalee, no rule and and nobody to give protection.
The refugees have first fled Trincomalee to the Mannar area from where they came by boats to Rameshwaran paying around Rs.10, 000.
Sunderapandian said that authorities do not allow the refugees to go out from the camps and confined to the camps due to security reasons.
Refuting reports of fleeing refugees, head of the Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat, Dr.Palitha Kohona called the reports malicious propaganda.
“Trincomalee and Mannar are at two different ends of the country and there is government controlled line between the two”, he said.
When told that the District Collector in Ramanadapuram in Tamilnadu has confirmed the story, Dr.Kohona said that this was incredible and difficult to believe.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka has accused authorities of not doing enough to protect Tamils from violence by the security forces.
“It is the responsibility of the government to protect every citizen in Sri Lanka. But Tamils are not protected,” MP Nadarajah Raviraj said.
TNA parliamentary group leader, R Sampanthan told journalists “the security forces are behaving in a manner, totally hostile to the Tamil civilian population.”
Strongly denying the accusations, the government accused Tamil Tigers of forcing civilians to flee “as a political strategy”.
Planning Implementation minister Keheliya Rambukwella said civilians who fled Allaipiddy in Kayts Island (see separate story, this page) have admitted that the LTTE forced them to flee or “face consequences”.
“This is a long-established terrorist strategy,” the minister told BBC Sandeshaya.
Meanwhile, Tamils who fled from violence-hit Sri Lanka on Saturday expressed their gratitude to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for rescuing and bringing them to refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.
Sivaranjani from Arichalmunai in Northern Sri Lanka, now at the Mandapam transit camp, narrated her horrifying experience to reporters. Their fibreglass boat carrying 50 refugees was tossed in the rough sea, drenching her two-month old baby.
“The journey was a nightmare and I could not even get milk for the baby before leaving the island. We were also dropped on a sand dune.” Starved for over four days, the Indian Navy who saved them, she said.
Another mother, Sasikumari, whose new-born baby was also completely drenched, reached the Indian coast Wednesday. She said their party of refugees were hiding in a jungle for two days without food before leaving Sri Lanka, fearing arrest by the armed forces there.
Meanwhile, in the wake of a horrific massacre by of 13 people in Allipiddy, most of the Tamil civilians living in that islet off the coast of Jaffna have fled their homes and moved into LTTE controlled territory.
Amnesty International said it had “received credible reports that Sri Lanka Navy personnel and armed cadres affiliated with the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, a Tamil political party opposed to the LTTE, were present at the scene of the killings.”
The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) is providing temporary dwellings, food and transport facilities to the growing number of refugees moving into Vanni from Jaffna islets.
Following the Allaipiddy murders, the entire population of the village evacuated, followed by more than ten families from the neighbouring villages of Velanai and Suruvil.
The families left the islets after the Jaffna Government Agent (GA) and representatives of local non-governmental organisations were unable to guarantee the security of the residents.
Even the evacuating families were harassed by the SLA, with troopers at the Muhamalai checkpoint initially turning back half the families, demanding written permission from the Government Agent (GA) of Jaffna allowing them to move into the Vanni with all their possessions.
Some reports suggested that as soon as the residents vacated, preparations got underway to build a new SLN camp in Allaipiddy.
At least 2000 Tamils have already reached India and several hundred more are believed to be ready to leave Sri Lanka, official sources told PTI.
Two hundred and thirty four refugees have arrived in Rameshwaran on one day alone, Tuesday last week.
Public Relation Officer of the Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation (OFER), Mohan Sundarapandian, said that most of them were from Trincomalee where last month Sinhala rioters attacked Tamils whilst security forces stood by.
The refugees have said that they fled the country as they were helpless without security, PTI reported. They have also said that there was no security in Trincomalee, no rule and and nobody to give protection.
The refugees have first fled Trincomalee to the Mannar area from where they came by boats to Rameshwaran paying around Rs.10, 000.
Sunderapandian said that authorities do not allow the refugees to go out from the camps and confined to the camps due to security reasons.
Refuting reports of fleeing refugees, head of the Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat, Dr.Palitha Kohona called the reports malicious propaganda.
“Trincomalee and Mannar are at two different ends of the country and there is government controlled line between the two”, he said.
When told that the District Collector in Ramanadapuram in Tamilnadu has confirmed the story, Dr.Kohona said that this was incredible and difficult to believe.
The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka has accused authorities of not doing enough to protect Tamils from violence by the security forces.
“It is the responsibility of the government to protect every citizen in Sri Lanka. But Tamils are not protected,” MP Nadarajah Raviraj said.
TNA parliamentary group leader, R Sampanthan told journalists “the security forces are behaving in a manner, totally hostile to the Tamil civilian population.”
Strongly denying the accusations, the government accused Tamil Tigers of forcing civilians to flee “as a political strategy”.
Planning Implementation minister Keheliya Rambukwella said civilians who fled Allaipiddy in Kayts Island (see separate story, this page) have admitted that the LTTE forced them to flee or “face consequences”.
“This is a long-established terrorist strategy,” the minister told BBC Sandeshaya.
Meanwhile, Tamils who fled from violence-hit Sri Lanka on Saturday expressed their gratitude to the Indian Navy and Coast Guard for rescuing and bringing them to refugee camps in Tamil Nadu.
Sivaranjani from Arichalmunai in Northern Sri Lanka, now at the Mandapam transit camp, narrated her horrifying experience to reporters. Their fibreglass boat carrying 50 refugees was tossed in the rough sea, drenching her two-month old baby.
“The journey was a nightmare and I could not even get milk for the baby before leaving the island. We were also dropped on a sand dune.” Starved for over four days, the Indian Navy who saved them, she said.
Another mother, Sasikumari, whose new-born baby was also completely drenched, reached the Indian coast Wednesday. She said their party of refugees were hiding in a jungle for two days without food before leaving Sri Lanka, fearing arrest by the armed forces there.
Meanwhile, in the wake of a horrific massacre by of 13 people in Allipiddy, most of the Tamil civilians living in that islet off the coast of Jaffna have fled their homes and moved into LTTE controlled territory.
Amnesty International said it had “received credible reports that Sri Lanka Navy personnel and armed cadres affiliated with the Eelam People’s Democratic Party, a Tamil political party opposed to the LTTE, were present at the scene of the killings.”
The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) is providing temporary dwellings, food and transport facilities to the growing number of refugees moving into Vanni from Jaffna islets.
Following the Allaipiddy murders, the entire population of the village evacuated, followed by more than ten families from the neighbouring villages of Velanai and Suruvil.
The families left the islets after the Jaffna Government Agent (GA) and representatives of local non-governmental organisations were unable to guarantee the security of the residents.
Even the evacuating families were harassed by the SLA, with troopers at the Muhamalai checkpoint initially turning back half the families, demanding written permission from the Government Agent (GA) of Jaffna allowing them to move into the Vanni with all their possessions.
Some reports suggested that as soon as the residents vacated, preparations got underway to build a new SLN camp in Allaipiddy.
