KOLLAM: Adivasi-Dalit Samara Samithi will open a 'refugee camp' in front of the residence of Chief Minister A K Antony on August 30 in protest against the ''inaction'' of the Government on the ''starvation deaths'' of the tribal people.

Samithi chairperson C K Janu said here on Monday that the camp would continue till a final solution to the problems of the tribal people were met. State-level agitations would be launched to highlight the issue. During the past two weeks as many as 14 Adivasis died due to starvation in Wayanad district and the Govt took no effective steps to meet the situation, she said.

The State Government had announced an amount of Rs. 500 and a week's free ration to each of the families of the deceased. According to the Smithi leader, the Government's action of limiting the relief to such a meagre amount was an insult to the community. It was inhuman to issue statement that these deaths were due to malnutrition, she said and added that these deaths were due to the alienation of adivasis from their lands.

The Samithi leader insisted on giving the agriculture land back to the adivasis and spending the tribal welfare funds only for the health, food, employment and educational needs of the community.

Ms. Janu demanded a CBI probe into the death of a tribal boy in an adivasi hostel run by a private management at Chadayamangalam. She also urged the Government to end closing down pre-matric hostels and shift all inmates of private adivasi hostels to Government hostels.