CHENNAI: As many as eight out of the 17 Lankan refugees at Chengalpattu Special Camp who went on an indefinite hunger stir from April 16, seeking reunion with their families living in refugee camps elsewhere in the State, were hospitalised as their health condition deteriorated.The condition of three of them, Sekar, Sudharshan, and Nagarasu, worsened on Tuesday night and they were subsequently referred to the hospital by a team of doctors who are reviewing the refugees on a regular basis. Five others who also fell sick protested to be removed from the site on Tuesday night. However, their conditions worsened on Wednesday and they were rushed to the hospital. Chandrakumar, a 54-year-old who stopped taking water from Tuesday morning, was rushed to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital where he was admitted with others for treatment.Meanwhile, officials including Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) and the tahsildar held talks with the refugees which went in vain as the officials sought 60 days’ time-frame to meet the demand of the refugees. A refugee told Express that the authorities had failed to keep their word in a similar protest in February last.“Aren’t we human? Q-Branch Police hoist cases on us when we obtain bail from the Court of law,” he said. “We should be allowed to live with our families otherwise India should not prevent our exit to countries other than Sri Lanka,” he demanded.Banking on Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, he said “She can help release us from the special camp considering our plight and that of the displaced families living in camps elsewhere in the State.”Similarly, Tamilaga Makkal Urimai Kalagam also sought the intervention of the Chief Minister for the release of Lankan refugees from these Special Camps citing that their life was no different from those living in camps with barbed-wire fences in Lanka.
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