Date:31/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/31/stories/2008103153720400.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

State to take care of over 50 tribals

Special Correspondent

They have fled violence in Orissa
Most of them from Baliguda

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government will take care of a group of more than 50 Christians from Kandhamal district in Orissa who have fled Orissa and reached Kerala.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan announced this after they called on him here on Thursday morning to seek their rehabilitation. The Chief Minister told them that the government would provide them food, shelter, clothing and medicines. Arrangements would be made for the schooling of their children, including three girls who are believed to have been orphaned. The Chief Minister promised assistance to find their missing relatives.

The group consisted of 56 tribals including women, a three-month-old baby and several children. Most of them were farmers from Baliguda and neighbouring areas. They belonged to 28 families of the same tribe, and 12 of them were students. Four of them were taken ill while in Kerala and did not come to meet the Chief Minister. Mr. Achuthanandan said that they would also be taken care of.

One of the tribals, Pitar Digal, told the Chief Minister that their houses and church had been burned down by attackers. They had taken refuge in forests following the attacks. He said the attacks against Christians had started about a year ago. The first of those attacks was in December last year.

The tribals were brought to Kerala by the Thrissur-based State Human Rights Protection Centre. The centre had sent them train tickets, through human rights activists in Orissa, to reach Kerala in small groups. They were then housed in houses in Kerala and a rehabilitation centre near Thrissur.

The chairman of the Thrissur centre C. Sivarajan, general secretary Joy Kaitharath and functionaries C.R. Neelakantan and P.C. Alexander subsequently approached the government for their rehabilitation. After the meeting with the Chief Minister, the tribals were taken to the rehabilitation centre under the Social Welfare Department at Poojappura here.