A court in Tamil Nadu has sentenced five Eelam Tamil asylum seekers to two years imprisonment for illegally entering India, after the group fled Sri Lanka with their five children last year.
The group of asylum seekers, consisting of three men, two women and five children, had arrived in Dhanushkodi in May 2014. Originally from Mullaitivu and Jaffna, the group went to Mannar, where they boarded two boats taking them across the Palk Strait.
One of the men, a former LTTE member from Mullaitivu, told of how the Tamils had feared for their lives following a crackdown by Sri Lankan security forces, causing them to flee. After arriving in Tamil Nadu, they were arrested by the Dhanushkodi police. Once they made bail the men were sent to camp at Cheyyar in Thiruvannamalai, whilst the women and children were sent to Mandapam refugee camp.
Tamil Nadu Magistrate Saravanakumar sentenced the five under the Passport Rules and Foreigners Act, alongside a fine of Rs. 100. They were present in court with their children when the verdict was announced, reports the Hindu.
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