File photograph: Eelam refugees in Tamil Nadu, 2012. Courtesy EC/ECHO Arjun Claire
Five members of a Tamil family fled Sri Lanka and arrived by boat on the coast of Rameswaram in the early hours of Monday, according to Indian press reports, as people continue to leave the island.
Police identified the family as M. Mohammed Kiyas (43) from Kandy, his wife M. Fathima Farhana (34), and their children M. Mohammed Yahya (12), M. Alisha (4), and M. Amira (4). They were dropped off on the coast between Rameswaram and Dhanushkodi in the early morning.
Upon receiving information, local police alerted the marine police, who took the family into custody and brought them in for questioning.
Sources reported that the family told authorities they had fled the island due to severe economic hardship. They are expected to be transferred to the Mandapam Rehabilitation Centre, which houses thousands of Eelam Tamil refugees.
Their arrival comes amid a hardening of the Indian judiciary’s position on refugees. In a recent ruling, the Indian Supreme Court stated that India is not a “dharamshala” for accepting refugees from across the globe, while declining to halt the detention of an EelamTamil individual.
"Should India shelter refugees from everywhere? We are already dealing with a population of 140 crore. This is not a dharamshala to accommodate foreign nationals," remarked Justice Dipankar Datta.
The statement was made during a hearing on a petition challenging a Madras High Court order, which required a petitioner to leave India after completing a seven-year sentence under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
