Express News Service
Chennai:
Ten Sri lankan inmates of Chengalpattu Sri Lankan refugee
camp in Kancheepuram district on Wednesday went on an indefinite hunger strike
demanding their immediate release besides demanding to be transferred to open
camps.
Q Branch officials told Express that 10 inmates have gone on
strike from Wednesday. However, they refused to divulge any further details.
Interestingly, the refugees are are languishing in the camp
for several years. They have been picked by the Q branch for trying to smuggle consignments
to LTTE and some on the basis on suspicion.
The refugees, who had undertaken the fast, alleged that the
strength of inmates in the camp, which was set up in 1993, has been increasing
despite many refugees are being freed. Currently, there are 52 refugees, they
said. “Threen months ago they promised to free five inmates but instead of that
they bought in 10 more refugees in the camp.,” the refugees alleged.
The refugees said that they have urged several organizations
and they have remained passive to our demands of freedom. The Q branch
maintains that keeping a foreigner in the special camp to regulate his
continued presence under the section 3 (2) (e) of Foreigners Act, 1946 does not
amount to arrest or confinement.
The inmates on fast include Gandhi Mohan, Kandeepan,
Parameshwaran, Johnson, Suman, Ramesh, Sasidharan, Eashwaran, Balkumar and
Kalidas.
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