A group of nine Eelam Tamil refugees who had previously sought refuge in India were detained by the Sri Lankan Navy near Neduntheevu Island this week.
The group, comprising three men, three women, and three children from Trincomalee, Mannar, and Mullaitivu, had initially arrived in India via the Dhanushkodi coast having fled during Sri Lanka’s economic crisis between 2022 and 2023. They had been living in Tamil Nadu’s Mandapam camp where thousands of Eelam Tamil refugees remain.
Officials confirmed that the refugees were intercepted on Saturday evening. Three refugees have been identified as Niroshan, Sudha, Gnanajothi, along with three children and three other women whose names have not been disclosed.
Despite the end of the armed conflict in 2009, Tamils continue to flee the island amidst ongoing human rights abuses and militarisation of the Tamil homeland. Returnees continue to experience scrutiny and arrests by Sri Lankan authorities. Rights groups have noted this pattern of detention as part of broader state practices that impact Tamils in the North-East.
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