News - Displaced duped; five drown in boat tragedy

By Chris Kamalendran

Five Sri Lankan refugees were drowned and 20 others rescued close to the South Indian Rameshwaram coast when their overloaded boat capsized early yesterday, reports said.

The refugees had left Mannar around Friday midnight and the boat capsized shortly before it reached its destination. “The boat which can carry about 15 people was overloaded,” a refugee who was waiting his turn to leave from Mannar told The Sunday Times by telephone.

The incident occurred as the Indian government expressed concern about the influx of refugees from Sri Lanka.
As many as 600 refugees have crossed over from Mannar to Tamil Nadu in the past two weeks bringing the total number of Sri Lankans who have entered South India in the past five months to 1,100.

Indian High Commission Spokesperson Nagma Malik said that under similar circumstances during the past India had accommodated refugees and would continue to receive them.

She said they were concerned about the influx of refugees but would accommodate them on ‘humanitarian grounds’.

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Deputy High Commissioner in Madras had informed that 600 Sri Lankans had arrived in Tamil Nadu during the recent weeks.
Meanwhile, there are reports that Sri Lankans leaving the country to South India due to the deteriorating security conditions in the north and east are being fleeced by gangs in the coastal areas.

They are being relieved of their jewellery and cash after being promised boat rides to India, Additional Government Agent A. Nicholaspillai told The Sunday Times.

At least 25 agents and brokers were operating in the area and they were offering boat rides to the refugees, from Trincomalee who have been deprived of their jobs due to the deteriorating security situation. The latest batch to arrive in Mannar was from the 10th division, in Tirukkadaloor and Alex Estate of Trincomalee.

The Sunday Times learns that Rs. 12, 000 is being charged from each person for a boat ride to Tamil Nadu while the charge for a family is Rs. 45,000.
At least four families who had been promised boat trips and later duped by the gangsters were found stranded in the Thalaimannar old bridge area on Friday. They were unable to go either to India or back to their village, Thrikkadoloor.
“In some cases much more is extracted and the people are left in the lurch, in the sand dunes without food or water,” a resident in the area said.

Meanwhile in Trincomalee many Muslims and Tamils kept away from the Urban Council owned public market out of fear.
On April 12 a claymore mine exploded at the rear entrance of the market killing about 20 civilians belonging to the three communities and the violent backlash that followed destroyed some 31 business establishments and homes.

Only a few Sinhalese vendors were seen selling vegetables in the market. Many of the Tamil and Muslim vendors are staying away and are reportedly selling their vegetables, fish and meat in areas out of town.

Though the police keep requesting these vendors to go back to the UC market to conduct their business the vendors want the assurance of security.

The public were also reportedly reluctant to go to the UC market to buy their provisions out of fear of what could happen in a climate of escalating violence.
"How can we ask members of the public to go to the UC market to buy their provisions after the April 12 incident,” a leading citizen asked.