Beware of offers of trips to Oz, Sri Lankan refugees warned

CHENNAI: The Tiruvallur district administration has put up a notice at the Sri Lankan refugee camp in

Gummidipoondi

urging the inmates to be cautious about ‘agents’ promising to take them to Australia by sea as most of them abandon the refugees off

Christmas Island

in

Pacific Ocean

.

The notice includes a letter from the Australian government, written by the air-vice marshal, detailing several restrictions on taking in refugees and later granting them citizenship.

On several occasions, many refugees have been deported to their home country based on their passport or sent to

Sri Lanka

in the absence of valid passports, the letter said.

Australian officials have also warned refugees from attempting to take the sea route in their effort to make a better life for themselves ‘Down Under’.

Crammed like sardines in illegal ferries and with very little food and water, many have persihded during the terrible journey.

Tiruvallur district officials have also used the public address system to din the message about unscrupulous agents among the refugees. Of the 10,000 Sri Lankans settled in the Gummidipoondi camp about three decades ago, having fled the island nation after the outbreak of the civil war, only 4,000 people are living in the camp.

The inmates of the camp live like virtual captive inside the facility, constantly under watch by the state police personnel.

They lack recognition in society outside the camp as well as native Tamils still see them as aliens, not as neighbours, says human rights activists. Many inmates, particularly women, fail to land peoper jobs and end up working as maids in residences.

For the thousands of refugees in the various camps in the state, the situation hasn’t changed even after the defeat of the LTTE in 2009, with a majority opting to stay put. Only a few families have opted to return to their country to start lives afresh.

On their part, Tamil Nadu ‘Q’ branch officials continue to monitor those trying to lure refugees into undertaking illegal ferry trips to Australia. Most of these agents collect anything from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 4 lakh from each refugee for taking them to Christmas Island, which is geographically located north of Australia.

People travelling in illegal ferry abandon their vessel after entering into the Australian waters.

The refugees took asylum in Australia after destroying their passports and other documents.