Tamil refugees rescued from Mannar Sea sandbank

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 August 2005, 04:59 GMT]
Mannar Magistrate Mr.N.M.M.Abdullah Tuesday ordered the release of thirteen Tamil refugees returned from Tamilnadu in India and rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy from sandbank in the midsea.

The refugees left Pampan in Tamilnadu on Saturday night in three Indian boats each paying 2000 rupees. But they were left on a sandbank in midsea by the boatmen Sunday early morning saying that they had reached the Mannar shore. A Sri Lanka Navy craft in its routine patrol had spotted these refugees on a sandbank Sunday morning around 9 a.m. and rescued them. Later the SLN handed over them to Talaimannar Police, accoring to the refugees.

Talaimannar Police Tuesday morning produced them in Mannar courts.

The refugees told the courts that fled from Mannar in 1990 disturbances and sought asylum in Tamilnadu. They had been staying in refugee camps at Sivakankai and Trichi in Tamilnadu since then.