Give Lankan refugees permanent residency – K’nidhi tells Centre

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has requested the Central Government of India to grant permanent residential status to the over 1.6 lakhs of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees residing in the state, the Times of India reported.

They should be given permanent residential status to enable the state government to initiate steps for improving their economic and social well-being, Karunanidhi wrote in DMK's official paper 'Murasoli'. The government is of the view that any effort to improve the living conditions of these refugees would only be an effort to enhance the livelihoods of Tamils as a whole, he said.

Karunanidhi, who sanctioned Rs 12 crore to improve the conditions in the refugee camps yesterday, said he had decided to do so after reading an article published in a magazine on the conditions in the camps. He said there were 115 refugee camps housing 73,241 Lankan Tamils in 26 districts in the state. In addition, 31,802 of them were also living outside the camps, in the state, he said.

Meanwhile, PMK founder S Ramadoss on Tuesday concurred with Karunanidhi’s view that the amenities for the Lankan Tamils living here should be upgraded manifold, the Express News Service reported. He said amenities should be increased at least on par with Tibetans who are moving freely throughout India despite being refugees.

Stating that sending back the Tamil refugees to Lanka in the present situation would only be counter-productive, the PMK leader said that the steps to be taken for improving the standard of life of the refugees should be useful and such measures should not be taken under some compulsion. Speaking further Ramadoss said the Chief Minister should summon the representatives of the refugees, find out their needs, and take steps to transform their lives so they could lead a life with self-respect.

Thanks
dailymirror