N Gowreeshwaran arrived on Indian soil with just two sets of clothes in 2006. It was all that could fit on the tiny boat that he and 10 members of his family travelled in from war-torn Sri Lanka. Since the age of 16, he has lived at a rehabilitation camp for Sri Lankan Tamil refugees in Chennai.
He yearns to see how his hometown Trincomalee, a coastal city in Sri Lanka, has changed in 20 years – but only as a tourist. “I would never consider moving there,” said Gowreeshwaran. “There is nothing there for us anymore.”
As ethnic violence and civil war ravaged the island nation for nearly three decades, lakhs of Sri Lankan Tamils fled their homes and landed up in India, mainly in Tamil Nadu. Many, like Gowreeshwaran, are refugees who have built new lives in India – but without gaining Indian citizenship.
A Sri Lankan minister’s comments, earlier in March, welcoming refugees back to the island nation brought to fore the longstanding issue of citizenship, which has resonance in both countries. But refugees Scroll spoke to said they would not return to Sri Lanka, even if offered the option. India is now their home.
Gowreeshwaran completed his education, started working, got married and now has children....
from Scroll.in https://scroll.in/article/1091576/life-is-here-now-sri-lankan-tamil-refugees-pin-hope-on-indian-citizenship?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=public https://sc0.blr1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/article/212645-dqoymvtsod-1774439979.jpg
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