Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06CHENNAI898
2006-05-09 11:48:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Consulate Chennai
Cable title:
SRI LANKAN TAMIL REFUGEES AGAIN ARRIVING IN
how-toVZCZCXRO8228 RR RUEHBI RUEHCI DE RUEHCG #0898/01 1291148 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 091148Z MAY 06 FM AMCONSUL CHENNAI TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8217 INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1645 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 1207 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0510 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1030 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0955 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0099 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0046 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0154 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0039 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0091 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 4757 RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 0504 RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000898
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM PTER IN CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKAN TAMIL REFUGEES AGAIN ARRIVING IN
SOUTH INDIA
REF: (A) CHENNAI 0867, (B) CHENNAI 0103
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CHENNAI 000898
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM PTER IN CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKAN TAMIL REFUGEES AGAIN ARRIVING IN
SOUTH INDIA
REF: (A) CHENNAI 0867, (B) CHENNAI 0103
1. SUMMARY: (SBU) Tamil refugee leader Chandrahasan
has reported to Post and Government of Tamil Nadu
(GoTN) officials have confirmed that on May 6, a
renewed flow of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka to south
India began after a hiatus of four months. The flow
at this point is light but may increase if conditions
continue to worsen in Sri Lanka. GoTN officials say
they are ready to handle the new arrivals in existing
refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) On May 3, 2006, Post met with S. C.
Chandrahasan, a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who now heads
the NGO, Organization for Eelam Refugees
Rehabilitation (OfERR). OfERR provides services and
advocacy for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, both those
living in south India and those internally displaced
within Sri Lanka (Ref A). During the May 3 meeting,
Chandrahasan described the situation in the
Trincomalee area where his organization operated an
outreach center which was gutted by fire in an attack
by masked men on April 12. He also noted that as of
May 3, no additional Tamil refugees had left Sri Lanka
to seek admission to India as refugees.
-------------- --
A RENEWED FLOW OF TAMIL REFUGEES TO SOUTH INDIA
-------------- --
3. (SBU) On May 8, 2006 Chandrahasan called Post to
report that, over the prior weekend, Tamil refugees
had again begun arriving in south India. According to
Chandrahasan, the arrivals began on May 6 and on a day-
by-day basis were as follows:
May 6 - 20 refugees
May 7 - 17 refugees
May 8 - 38 refugees
The first day that new refugees began to appear in
numbers in Tamil Nadu was May 6, the last day of
campaigning in the hard-fought Tamil Nadu assembly
elections. Chandrahasan suggested that the
convergence of the two events on May 6 was not
coincidental. Refugees had been postponing their
departure from Sri Lanka pending the end of the
campaign, during which they felt security would be
unusually high to prevent their entry. The new
arrivals represent the first new refugees since
January 2006 when a small number of refugees landed in
Tamil Nadu after a gap of four years (Ref B).
-------------- --
REFUGEES ARE FROM JAFFNA, TRINCOMALEE, VAVUNIYA
-------------- --
4. According to Chandrahasan, the newly arrived
refugees are from Jaffna, Trincomalee and Vavuniya in
northern and eastern Sri Lanka. Ref A reported
violence in the Trincomalee area on April 12.
Chandrahasan told Post that conditions are continuing
to worsen with a lack of power availability now a
recurring problem in Trincomalee.
-------------- --------------
TAMIL NADU REHABILITATION COMMISSIONER SAYS HE IS
READY
-------------- --------------
5. (SBU) Post spoke with Ambedkar Rajkumar, the Tamil
Nadu Commissioner for Rehabilitation, who confirmed
the numbers that Chandrahasan had provided and added
that 21 additional refugees arrived on May 9.
CHENNAI 00000898 002 OF 002
Rajkumar would not hazard a guess as to the total
number of new refugees that might ultimately arrive,
noting that it would depend on conditions on the
island. He said that his department, which has
responsibility for Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu, is
ready for the renewed flow, having anticipated their
arrival based on news reports of worsening conditions
in Sri Lanka.
-------------- -
TAMIL NADU ELECTION CAMPAIGN IGNORED THE ISSUE
-------------- -
6. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite the worsening situation on
the ground in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, the
condition of Sri Lankan Tamils was never an issue in
the just completed election campaign for the Tamil
Nadu state assembly. It was convenient for the two
major parties, both of which have roots in the south
Indian Dravidian movement which championed Tamil
language and culture, to leave the issue alone since
it did not rank high on the list of voters' concerns
in Tamil Nadu and because the issue has been a
delicate one since the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
by a Tamil terrorist in the state in 1991. A major
influx of refugees, if it occurs, might force Tamil
Nadu and the Government of India to face the issue
head-on. END COMMENT.
HOPPER
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR PHUM PTER IN CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKAN TAMIL REFUGEES AGAIN ARRIVING IN
SOUTH INDIA
REF: (A) CHENNAI 0867, (B) CHENNAI 0103
1. SUMMARY: (SBU) Tamil refugee leader Chandrahasan
has reported to Post and Government of Tamil Nadu
(GoTN) officials have confirmed that on May 6, a
renewed flow of Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka to south
India began after a hiatus of four months. The flow
at this point is light but may increase if conditions
continue to worsen in Sri Lanka. GoTN officials say
they are ready to handle the new arrivals in existing
refugee camps in Tamil Nadu. END SUMMARY.
2. (SBU) On May 3, 2006, Post met with S. C.
Chandrahasan, a Sri Lankan Tamil refugee who now heads
the NGO, Organization for Eelam Refugees
Rehabilitation (OfERR). OfERR provides services and
advocacy for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, both those
living in south India and those internally displaced
within Sri Lanka (Ref A). During the May 3 meeting,
Chandrahasan described the situation in the
Trincomalee area where his organization operated an
outreach center which was gutted by fire in an attack
by masked men on April 12. He also noted that as of
May 3, no additional Tamil refugees had left Sri Lanka
to seek admission to India as refugees.
-------------- --
A RENEWED FLOW OF TAMIL REFUGEES TO SOUTH INDIA
-------------- --
3. (SBU) On May 8, 2006 Chandrahasan called Post to
report that, over the prior weekend, Tamil refugees
had again begun arriving in south India. According to
Chandrahasan, the arrivals began on May 6 and on a day-
by-day basis were as follows:
May 6 - 20 refugees
May 7 - 17 refugees
May 8 - 38 refugees
The first day that new refugees began to appear in
numbers in Tamil Nadu was May 6, the last day of
campaigning in the hard-fought Tamil Nadu assembly
elections. Chandrahasan suggested that the
convergence of the two events on May 6 was not
coincidental. Refugees had been postponing their
departure from Sri Lanka pending the end of the
campaign, during which they felt security would be
unusually high to prevent their entry. The new
arrivals represent the first new refugees since
January 2006 when a small number of refugees landed in
Tamil Nadu after a gap of four years (Ref B).
-------------- --
REFUGEES ARE FROM JAFFNA, TRINCOMALEE, VAVUNIYA
-------------- --
4. According to Chandrahasan, the newly arrived
refugees are from Jaffna, Trincomalee and Vavuniya in
northern and eastern Sri Lanka. Ref A reported
violence in the Trincomalee area on April 12.
Chandrahasan told Post that conditions are continuing
to worsen with a lack of power availability now a
recurring problem in Trincomalee.
-------------- --------------
TAMIL NADU REHABILITATION COMMISSIONER SAYS HE IS
READY
-------------- --------------
5. (SBU) Post spoke with Ambedkar Rajkumar, the Tamil
Nadu Commissioner for Rehabilitation, who confirmed
the numbers that Chandrahasan had provided and added
that 21 additional refugees arrived on May 9.
CHENNAI 00000898 002 OF 002
Rajkumar would not hazard a guess as to the total
number of new refugees that might ultimately arrive,
noting that it would depend on conditions on the
island. He said that his department, which has
responsibility for Tamil refugees in Tamil Nadu, is
ready for the renewed flow, having anticipated their
arrival based on news reports of worsening conditions
in Sri Lanka.
-------------- -
TAMIL NADU ELECTION CAMPAIGN IGNORED THE ISSUE
-------------- -
6. (SBU) COMMENT: Despite the worsening situation on
the ground in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, the
condition of Sri Lankan Tamils was never an issue in
the just completed election campaign for the Tamil
Nadu state assembly. It was convenient for the two
major parties, both of which have roots in the south
Indian Dravidian movement which championed Tamil
language and culture, to leave the issue alone since
it did not rank high on the list of voters' concerns
in Tamil Nadu and because the issue has been a
delicate one since the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi
by a Tamil terrorist in the state in 1991. A major
influx of refugees, if it occurs, might force Tamil
Nadu and the Government of India to face the issue
head-on. END COMMENT.
HOPPER