6 Sri Lankans arrive in Tamil Nadu's Rameswaram on boat citing economic crisis

A couple with their four-month-old child and another woman with her two children reached the sand dunes near Danushkodi early in the morning today.

Six Sri Lankans, including three children, unable to get work amid skyrocketing prices in the country, arrived in Tamil Nadu’s Rameswaram on a boat. A couple with their four-month-old child and another woman with her two children reached the sand dunes near Danushkodi early in the morning today.

Of the two families, one is from Jaffna while the other is from Mannar.

The Indian Coast Guard, after being informed about them, used a hovercraft to bring the refugees to shore. They were offered food and water by officials. The officials, including the local police, also spoke with them, recording their identities and the reason for fleeing Sri Lanka.

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One of them, while speaking to reporters, said they decided to leave Sri Lanka for India due to the current economic situation in their country. The rising prices of food and essentials and their inability to get any work to sustain themselves, prompted them to become refugees in India for their children’s survival.

According to police sources, the Sri Lankans have entered the country illegally and will be charged and jailed.

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