Six more Sri Lankan refugees of 2 families land in Dhanushkodi

MADURAI: Six persons from Sri Lanka migrated to Tamil Nadu’s coastal district of Ramanathapuram as economic refugees on Monday. The worsening economic crisis in Sri Lanka prompted them to seek asylum in Tamil Nadu. The Indian Coast Guard personnel found them before rescuing and handing them over to Tamil Nadu Coastal Security Group personnel at Mandapam, sources said. Sources said the refugees are of two families from Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. They boarded a boat after the boat owner demanded Rs 2 lakh for each of them. The boatman dropped them abruptly in the first dune near Dhanushkodi. The refugees are Balasuganthan (41) from Parayanalankulam, Vavuniya, his wife Anuja and his sons Prasanna and Mena Laksan and another couple Lingeshwaran (38) of Nedunkulam, Vavuniya and his wife Pradhanikai, sources said.