MADRAS, June 14, Reuter: Some 4,000 Tamil refugees have fled to southern India in the pat four or five days and hundreds more arrive each day, an Indian government spokesman said today.
Speaking to Indian and foreign journalists brought to see the refugee situation for themselves, the spokesman said 300 more Tamils had arrived early this morning and more were believed to be on their way.
He said the Tamils had fled parts of Sri Lanka’s northern Jaffna Peninsula where government troops have be taken control from the separatist guerrillas who controlled it for the past two years. India, which has a large Tamil population of its own, has reported carpet-bombing of the Peninsula by the Colombo government and says its 800,000 inhabitants face starvation and ill-treatment at the hands of the government forces. Colombo has denied the reports and Western journalists visiting the area have found the situation less serious than India alleges.
Most of the refugees are being cared for in a refugee camp at Mandapam, west of the port of Rameshwaram, from which India launched an abortive relief supply flotilla for the Tamils on June 3.
There is no independent confirmation of the numbers or condition of the refugees, but the invited party of journalists is to visit the camp later today and will be given free access to the refugees, the spokesman said.
Indian newspapers, most of which support New Delhi’s tough line against the Colombo government and applauded its airdrop of supplies to the Tamils last week, have reported that 6,000 Indian troops have gathered on the southeast coast opposite the Jaffna peninsula. The government spokesman confirmed that troops were present but gave no numbers or reasons for their movement to the coastal area.
Most Indian commentators believe the display of strength 1s intended to put more pressure on Colombo to agree to an Indian relief operation, rather than in preparation for an invasion of the
Island.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 19, 1987
