The arrest of 10 Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka has sparked outrage from human rights groups and Tamil activists in India, reported The New Indian Express.
The refugees, including 5 children, were arrested under the Foreigners Act and sent to Puzhal Prison in Chennai on May 5. India stopped admitting Tamil refugees after 2011 as it deemed that peace had returned to Sri Lanka.
P Nedumaran, head of the World Tamil Confederation, told the paper that the former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and former Chief Minister M G Ramachandran had accepted Tamils as refugees and made all arrangements for them. Nedumaran alleged that the Indian government is taking action against Tamil refugees due to pressure from Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.
Sheik Ibrahim, Ramanathapuram district coordinator of People’s Watch, said that the Indian government should give refugee status to the Tamils and that they should be allowed to live in the refugee camps and enjoy the benefits provided to other refugees.
Marx, an organiser for the People’s Union for Human Rights (Tamil Nadu chapter), told the Express that this attitude of the Centre was condemnable and that the government should stop persecuting refugees as they are not criminals.