200 Lankan refugees missing from camp

INDIA: As many as 200 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees were found missing when a surprise check was held at the Mandapam camp here, police said. ‘Q’ branch police sources told PTI that this happened despite strict instructions to inmates to give information if any of their neighbours were found missing.

“We are now cross checking the figures. We are sure a minimum 200 refugees are missing,” they said.

The check was conducted yesterday. A total of 20,112 refugees had arrived since January 2006. They said 4,800 refugees were staying in Mandapam alone.The refugees were allowed to go out for various domestic work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It was not known whether the missing refugees had gone to Sri Lanka or to other parts of India. The refugees keep moving between India and Sri Lanka as they had property/business in the island nation.

However, police were concerned because some anti-social elements also could make good their escape. The officials were now checking the refugees’ camps to find if any refugee was missing elsewhere.