SRI LANKAN TAMILS CALL OFF FAST

SRI LANKAN TAMILS CALL OFF FAST AT PATHANAPURAM GANDHIBHAVAN

Fourteen Sri Lankan Tamils lodged at the Pathanapuram Gandhi Bhavan, a charity home, since August 18 who launched an indefinite fast on Wednesday morning in protest against the delay in their deportation called off the fast in the evening following an assurance given by the government that the formalities for their deportation would be completed by September 12.

The Sri Lankans went on fast in protest against alleged apathy on the part of the State government in ensuring their early deportation. Talking to The Hindu , they said when they were brought here, they were given an assurance that the formalities for their deportation would be completed in two weeks.

Six of their relatives, all women who had arrived here since their arrest on June 3 and were camping at Pathanapuram, had also joined the fast. District Collector P.G. Thomas had directed Additional District Magistrate (ADM) O. Raju to hold talks with the fasting Sri Lankans. It was on the basis of the talks with the ADM that the fast was called off.

The 14 were arrested by the police on June 3 on charges of violating the Foreigners Act. They were part of a group of 151 Sri Lankan Tamils comprising women and children who were arrested from a fishing boat at Kavanad in the city. All of them were victims of a human trafficking racket and they were being taken to Australia by the traffickers who had collected amounts ranging between Rs.50,000 and Rs.1 lakh each.

They were remanded to judicial custody on charges of violating the Foreigners Act as they had reached here directly from Sri Lanka without any travel documents.

The rest had reached here from various refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. Since they had the relevant documents, they were arrested and sent back to the respective refugee camps.

But on August 18, the Kollam Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-11 ordered their release from judicial custody under the provisions of a Ministry of External Affairs notification which classified them as victims and not accused persons. Though they were released from judicial custody, the court said they were not free and till the completion of the formalities for their deportation, they would be under government protection at the Gandhi Bhavan.

The Sri Lankans said though the Gandhi Bhavan authorities were very cordial with them, they had decided to launch the fast due to uncertainty over their deportation.

They said they hailed from the districts of Jaffna, Vavuniya and Udappu in Sri Lanka..

Prof. John Kurakar