Watch | How Dhanushkodi is a land of promise for Sri Lankan Tamils fleeing the economic crisis
The Hindu
A video on how Dhanushkodi is a ghost town and a ray of hope for Sri Lankan refugees
Dhanushkodi is on the south-eastern tip of Pamban Island in Tamil Nadu. It is 24 kilometres west of Talaimannar in Sri Lanka, separated by the ocean.
Despite being an abandoned town, it is a land of promise for many Sri Lankan refugees. From Dhanushkodi, they reach Mandapam town in Ramanathapuram district where they will settle.
They make their way into the camp where a new life awaits. They find jobs in Ramanathapuram or venture into other parts of Tamil Nadu.
The camp in Mandapam has been a safe haven for many Sri Lankans who escaped to India since 2005 - their only hope after fleeing a war-torn nation. This camp was originally set up by the Sri Lankan government in 1917. It was a quarantine camp for labourers from different parts of Tamil Nadu, who were being taken by the British government to work in tea estates in Sri Lanka.
he Tamil Nadu Government will take appropriate decision to protect the welfare and livelihood of Manjolai tea estate workers as Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation, which is managing the tea gardens for the past 90-odd years, is about to wind up its operations in near future, Speaker M. Appavu has said.