ABSTRACT
No continent is immune to refugee flows across state borders. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2012), there were 15.4 million refugees worldwide at the end of 2011. The number of refugees has fluctuated over time due to newly arising conflicts, return movements, civil war, and natural disasters. Asian countries, in particular, have been affected by this. Among Asian countries, Sri Lanka is of particular concern due to a large continuous outflow of refugees in recent years. After three decades of civil war between the Sri Lankan Army and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka, many Sri Lankan Tamils have sought refuge in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu since 1983, which was much higher than the flow to other countries. The influx of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees into India comprises four phases: first during 1983-88, second 1990-94, third 1995-2002, and the last 2006-09.
