Sri
Lankan War Refugees
Live In Appalling Conditions
In southern India
By Ram Kumar and
T. Kala
03 October 2006
World Socialist Web
Fleeing death and destruction
in Sri Lanka, around 15,000 people have escaped to the southern Indian
state of Tamil Nadu since January, amid an escalating war on the island
between the security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE).
Most of the refugees are
poor farmers, labourers and fishermen. They had to scrape together several
thousand rupees to pay for their boat fares. In many cases, this was
their life savings—some sold their belongings to meet the cost.
They packed essential items into polythene-covered suitcases and bags
for the 40-kilometre voyage.
Dozens of people had died
making the risky journey in improvised boats. The Sri Lankan navy, which
patrols the straits between the two countries, has arrested hundreds
of refugees this year and handed them over to the police.
Refugees who make it to Tamil
Nadu have to register at the Mandapam camp, 15 kilometres from Rameswaram
on the eastern coast. Later, they are shifted to one of the 103 camps
administered by the Tamil Nadu government. These hold 62,969 people,
with more than 100,000 refugees living outside the camps. Most of the
residents have been there since the 1990s.
Indian police screen all
refugees for suspected LTTE members. An intelligence bureau official
said: “They are checked for war-time scars. If we suspect that
any of them were or are LTTE cadres, they are sent to special camps
for militants in Chenglepet or Vellore.”
The situation inside the
camps is pathetic. The 287-acre camp at Mandapam has high walls with
electric barbed-wire fencing. On the other side is the sea, patrolled
by Indian coastal guards. The refugees live in a dilapidated row of
houses.
Bathroom and toilet facilities
are virtually non-existent. Most of the 830 toilets are blocked and
have no roofs. Similarly, the “bathrooms” have no pipes,
just open drains. Residents collect water from four outside wells. Even
the streets are unlit. A 20-bed hospital runs without power and has
limited medical facilities.
Even by Indian standards,
the food rations and dole payments are not enough to live. Each refugee
gets five litres of kerosene a month. Adults receive 500 grams of uncooked
rice per day and children 400 grams. In addition, adults are expected
to survive on monthly stipends of 144 rupees (about $US3) and children
on 45 rupees.
Tamil Nadu’s Dravida
Munnettra Kazhagam (DMK) government has promised to increase the dole
to 400 rupees for family heads, but this is yet to be implemented.
Most refugees want decent
jobs or to set up small businesses. However, they have become a source
of cheap labour, exploited ruthlessly by local employers. In some instances,
women have been forced into prostitution and drug running.
It is hardly surprising that
the government wants to cover up the conditions in the camps. When the
WSWS team visited the Mandapam refuge camp, the administrative officer
prohibited interviews or photos. At the Dhanushkodi camp, after much
persuasion, permission was granted to speak to refugees for just 30
minutes.
While exploiting the plight
of the Sri Lankan Tamils for its own political purposes, the DMK government
is deliberately keeping the refugees isolated from the state’s
working and poor masses.
In August, almost all the
Tamil Nadu parties, including the ruling DMK, condemned the atrocities
being carried out by the Sri Lankan military. The opposition Marumalarachi
Dravida Munnettra Kazaham (MDMK), the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and
the Dalit Panther Party were particularly vociferous and organised public
protests in Madras. None of the parties have spoken out about the plight
of the refugees.
Refugees were eager to speak
to the World Socialist Web Site.
Raju described the situation
in his hometown of Vavuniya, which is controlled by the Sri Lankan military.
“Whenever a claymore mine exploded, the army started to shoot
indiscriminately, so I decided to come here with my wife and baby. I
am a building worker and we cannot get any work there. We sold whatever
we had, and came here. We thought we could do any odd job here,”
he said.
“I had come here with
my parents in 1995. Things improved in Sri Lanka a little when the cease-fire
agreement was signed [in 2002]. Because of that we went back in 2002,
rather than being a refugee here. In Sri Lanka I had to work every day
to survive. If there was work I could earn up to 450 rupees per day.
With this hard-earned money I built my own house. But the military was
destroying houses and shelling civilians.”
Raju said food prices had
risen dramatically in Sri Lanka’s north. “The government
is spending millions on the military. As a result, a good country is
being ruined. We have sold all our things and come here, because of
[Sri Lankan President Mahinda] Rajapakse.”
A young housewife explained
that her family had to pay a large amount of money to escape. “For
adults, the boats charged 6,000 to 10,000 rupees, and 3,000 rupees for
children. We had to sell all our belongings and even our jewellery,
all at low prices.”
The boat in which she came
had been crammed full with seven people. “In another boat there
were ten. It capsized and I think they lost their lives. We never thought
we would reach the shore. We want to live in freedom, like people live
here in India.”
“The [Sri Lankan] government
is responsible for this. They talk about peace in the parliament, but
then continue the war. They are abducting innocent people in white vans
and also killing Muslims.” She expressed her disapproval of the
LTTE’s role as well. “Nothing good will come out of either
side. In a two-hour fight, 50 LTTE and 50 soldiers might die. But 100
ordinary people will also be killed.”
Raji was married just nine
months ago, but she fled, leaving her parents behind. In Sri Lanka,
she had been hiding from the army. The military had arrested a friend
of hers, on suspicion that he was a LTTE member. Later she was detained
without charge for 14 days, before the International Committee of the
Red Cross intervened. She fled as part of a group of 20 refugees.
“For five days before
we left for India, we had no food. There was nothing left in the house.
Both the LTTE and the army think we should support them. We are trampled
in between. The army is camped in our rural agricultural society building.
They are stealing from the abandoned houses, so the family elders are
staying there.” She said her entire life had been affected by
the war.
Kumar, a building worker
in his 30s, said: “I lived in Trincomalee town and I have four
children. I came here with my parents in 1990 and later went back. Now
after getting married, I have come here again with my wife and my four
daughters.
“In the presidential
election, the two main parties [United National Party (UNP) and Sri
Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP)] offered nothing for the Tamil people. Therefore
we did not vote for anyone. Neither the UNP nor the SLFP will bring
peace.
“In the last general
election, we voted for the TNA [Tamil National Alliance, a pro-LTTE
group]. They have 22 MPs in the parliament, but no policy for us. In
the Trincomalee region, Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims all live together.
Now we have come here as refugees.”
Kumar said the problem was
not the ordinary Sinhalese, but the leaders. “We were affected
by the tsunami [in December 2004]. At that time, Sinhala people helped
us a lot. Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people were living well with each
other. Only at the top level, the leaders instigate racial hatred. Because
of that, the Sinhalese and Muslims living in Trincomalee have left seeking
asylum elsewhere... All people must come together to change this.”
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