Eelam Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu remain in critical conditions

Several Eelam Tamils have attempted suicide in a special camp in Trichy Central Jail following the rejection of their demand for release. A further five remain in critical condition in the Trichy Government Hospital.

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Some of the detainees consumed large amounts of sleeping pills while others slit themselves in the stomach in an attempt to commit suicide. 

The refugees, some of whom have been held in the camp for years, have long been protesting against the detention which they say are based on false allegations.  

More than 60 Eelam Tamils are currently detained in the Central Jail camp with various criminal allegations against them. There are over 100 inmates in the camp including citizens of Bangladesh, Sudan, Nigeria and Bulgaria. 

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Some Tamils are frustrated that they are held in detention even though they have been exonerated by the court or have obtained bail. Others continue to be imprisoned for longer than their initial sentence. 

They launched a hunger strike against the detention last month and conducted a protest in the month of June demanding that they be released on the grounds of the threat posed by the coronavirus pandemic and that they be allowed to live with their family. In response to their hunger strike protest, they were presented before Trichy Criminal Court last week.

Read more here: Eelam Tamil refugees protest for 9th continuous day demanding their release

For more on the lives of Eelam Tamils detained there, watch the video below.