18 Sri Lankan refugees arrived in TN

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Jul 27 (UNI) A day after the arrival of a group of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, another batch of 18 refugees, including five children, arrived here today.

Official sources said the refugees, comprising four families hailing from Kilinochi and Jaffna regions in the Island nation, arrived at Arichalmunai seashore in Dhanushkodi here with the assistance of a clandestine boat operator after paying a huge sum.

On arrival, they were interrogated by the Central and State intelligence sleuths. Later, they were sent to the Special Refugee Camp at Mandapam, near here this evening.

Meanwhile, another group of three refugees, including two women, took refuge in the Mandapam Special Refugee Camp today. They arrived in Tamil Nadu recently with valid documents, the sources added.

There has been heavy influx of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to Tamil Nadu in the past few months owing to the renewed fierce fighting between Tamil rebels and Sri Lankan forces.

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