Sri Lankans began arriving in India last month and Indian officials have been reported to estimate that up to 2,000-4,000 people might arrive in coming weeks.
Sri Lankan Tamils have arrived at Indian shores over the decades to escape war and alleged persecution in their country, but now they are arriving from a different problem altogether – food shortage and unemployment arising out of the country’s ongoing financial crisis.
Sri Lanka has an acute shortage of foreign exchange, which led to a shortage of vehicular fuel, cooking gas, and food in the country. Prices have also sky-rocketed. The country is facing up to 13 hours of power cuts a day because of a shortage of thermal fuel to produce electricity.
These “economic refugees” began arriving in India last month and Indian officials have been reported to estimate that up to 2,000-4,000 Sri Lankans might be arriving in India in coming weeks.
The first batch of 16 people arrived on 22 March from Jaffana and Mannar regions of Sri Lanka. They paid up to Rs 50,000 to fishermen for their transit, according to reports. One of the groups was stranded off the coast and was rescued by the Indian Coast Guard.
There have been four waves of Sri Lankans arriving in India, primarily due to the civil war between Tamil groups such as LTTE and the Sri Lankan government.
The first wave during 1983-87 witnessed around 1.34 lakh Sri Lankan Tamils arriving in India. Between 1987-89, however, around 25,600 of them returned to Sri Lanka, as per reports.
The second wave began in 1990 in which around 1,22,000 Tamils reached India. During 1991-95, around 54,000 people were repatriated to Sri Lanka as Sri Lankan Tamils were facing pressure in Tamil Nadu following the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi.
The third wave began in 1995 and lasted till 2002 during which Sri Lanka’s north witnessed intense fighting.
The fourth wave began in 2008-09 as the war entered its final years. The exodus turned into a flood in 2008-09, the final years of the war, and refugees continued to arrive until 2013, according to a report in The Indian Express.
There are around 58,000 Sri Lankan Tamils in 108 refugee camps across Tamil Nadu, according to reports. Moreover, around 34,000 people are living outside of these camps with refugee certificates.
In addition to being a place to seek refuge from the war, India has also served as a point of transit for Sri Lankan Tamils, who arrive in India as per their plan to eventually leave for other places in the world, mostly in Europe.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin discussed the ongoing crisis in Sri Lanka with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting on Thursday.
Stalin sought the Union government’s permission to send essential goods and medicines to Sri Lanka for the help of Sri Lankan Tamils in various parts of the country, including in the northern and eastern regions and the capital Colombo.
“It is also informed that more such people may be arriving due to the worsening economic conditions. It is requested to accord necessary permission to undertake this benevolent activity,” Stalin was quoted as saying in Times of India.