CHENNAI, India - The Church in Tamil Nadu state is calling Catholics to a day of prayer and fasting for refugees in Sri Lanka.

For the Church in Tamil Nadu, the Indian state with the largest number of refugees from Sri Lanka, more than 260 thousand war refugees are still detained in the camps where they are experiencing a  'humanitarian crisis, that is not being brought to the attention of international forums on human rights.' 
 
The Bishop of Madurai is calling for 'assurances on the resettlement of refugees,' 'guarantees of promised economic assistance ' and he is urging the authorities in Tamil Nadu 'to lobby the central government of India to help the refugees.' Meanwhile the Church 'is organizing a health care group with doctors, nurses and counsellors ready to intervene in aid of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the event that permission to enter the refugee camps is granted'.