He said the authorities in the northern Sumatran province were kind enough to provide food and medical assistance to 35 Tamil refugees who landed on their shores recently.

“Among the refugees were women and children. One woman was found to be pregnant and admitted to a hospital on humanitarian grounds.

“Acehnese, known for their generosity, are urging the Indonesian authorities to provide temporary stay for the refugees until their problems can be sorted out by international humanitarian agencies.

“The Acehnese must be thanked for their humanitarian gesture,” Ramasamy said in a statement today.

Commenting on the state of affairs in Sri Lanka, Ramasamy said it was regrettable that the sufferings of Tamils continued, despite the end of the civil war a few years ago.

“Due to the harassment of the security forces and the grab of Tamil ancestral lands, Tamils continue to flee the country.

“During the civil war that ended in 2009, more than 100,000 were killed, women raped and thousands went missing.

“Despite the urging of the United Nations Human Rights Council to allow for international investigation, the Sri Lankan Government refuses to do so citing various excuses.”

Ramasamy said more Tamils are expected to flee Sri Lanka, afraid of oppressive conditions by the “racist, Sri Lankan regime”.