Lankan refugees in TN to wait and watch - Times of India

CHENNAI: Lankan Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu are cautious in their reaction to the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the presidential election in Sri Lanka. They prefer to wait and see what President Maithripala Sirisena has in store for Tamils in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

"We want to know whether the army shall withdraw from Tamil areas. During his campaign, Sirisena had promised that the army would stay in the north. But, even if the army remains, people are ready to move if life is peaceful and there is no discrimination," said a refugee in the Puzhal camp.

This is a general mood among refugees across the state. "We want an assurance from the Indian government that our lives will be safe if we return to Lanka and we will be able to lead a normal life," said the Puzhal refugee.

Only refugees, who belong to Trincomalee and Mannar, are ready to return. "The conditions in these two districts are favourable for us to lead a normal life. But in Jaffna and Mullaitivu, many who went back to Lanka are advising us not to return as conditions are not good," the inmate said.

There are around 1 lakh refugees in more than 100 normal and special camps in Tamil Nadu. Tamils left Sri Lanka in droves and arrived in India in 1980s when they were singled out for persecution by the then government.

Since then they have led a frugal life in the camps and depended on doles from the governments. "It is too early for them to even think about returning home. The elections have just ended. The new President was part of the Rajapaksa government which pursued the war till its end, so there is a certain amount of mistrust," said Sri Lanka analyst Ramu Manivannan.

"There has to be changes in the constitution empowering Tamils. The army should be withdrawn from the north and resettlement issues should be resolved," said Manivannan.

For T Ravintharan of the Mandapam refugee camp in Ramanathapuram, hiccups in the re-settlement process in the Northern Province is a key issue. "We will wait for the new government to settle down and see what changes they bring to lives of Tamils. Only if we are assured that living conditions have improved, will we return to our native land," he said.

http://ift.tt/1tW8L0o Sirisen Mahinda Rajapaksa

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