A case for refugee policy, protection: Tamil Nadu

“Life was very tough when we landed in India. Our first accommodation was a godown in Cuddalore district where about 58 families lived together. There was no privacy, but we were happy that we were alive,” says R Pathmanathan.

He arrived in Rameswaram via a boat from Mullaitivu in northern Sri Lanka on August 19, 1990, as a teenager. Since then, he has lived in refugee camps across Tamil Nadu.

After having graduated from a government college here, Pathmanathan is now a part of the Organisation for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation, which works among Sri Lankan refugees in India.

Over 3 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils are estimated to have arrived in India since the 1980s. A majority of those who fled the northeastern part of Sri Lanka chose to come to India due to its geographical proximity.

Government support

The TN government extended benefits intended for citizens of the state to refugees in camps, says Param, another refugee from the island nation.

The government also pitched in to help refugees get documents like driving licence, which helped many to eke out a living as drivers. The state government extends the medical insurance scheme, maternal benefits, first graduate concession and yearly Pongal gifts to residents of the refugee camps.

The families also get special monetary assistance from the government every month with the head of the family receiving Rs 1,500 each monthly, and other members above the age of 12 receiving Rs 1,000 each, besides free rice under the Public Distribution Scheme. The government provides scholarships to Sri Lankan refugee children.

Till about two years ago, the facilities in the camp were at a bare minimum standard, says Pathmanathan. Things are changing now, he adds.

“I was in a camp only for five days and I never liked the environment as all inmates had to sleep in the same hall and share toilets. The camps are always cramped too. But staying outside the camps is very expensive,” says Thenmozhi, who came to India in 1990 as a 19-year-old, has lived all her life in Tamil Nadu outside the refugee camps

The state government is building individual houses (each measuring 320 sq ft) for Sri Lankan Tamils at Rs 231.54 crore. In the first phase, as many as 7,469 houses will be constructed. The work on 1,800 houses is almost complete.