Tamil refugees rescued from mid-sea

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 July 2002, 16:20 GMT]
Nine Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who left Ramehswaram Wednesday night in a boat to Mannar were rescued by Talaimannar fishermen from a sandbank in mid-sea Saturday morning. The Mannar District Judge Mr.M.P.Mohideen Sunday ordered the Police to send these refugees to Jaffna district to be resettled in their own villages, Chavakachcheri and Ilavalai.

According to rescued refugees, they had been living at KK Nagar in Madras for about twelve years. One day they decided to return to Jaffna and paid Rs 52500/= rupees in Indian currency to a boatman as transport charges to Mannar. They left in the boat Wednesday night.

They were asked to get down on Thursday early morning near a sandbank in the sea. Later only they came to know that the Indian boatman had deceived them. Fortunately some fishermen had rescued and handed them to the Mannar Police.

The Mannar Police Sunday morning produced them before the District Judge.