Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) in Italy and their families are praying for an early end to the diplomatic and legal row between that country and India over Rome’s refusal to return the two Marines accused of shooting to death two fishermen off the Kerala coast in February, 2012 but they are firm in their opinion that the Marines should face trial in India.
These NRKs, constituting over 20 per cent of the total 1,00,000 Indians in Italy, are concerned that the diplomatic row could hit them any moment if it has not affected them already, say their relatives in Kerala. Anti-Indian feeling among the Italians is not obvious at present but things could go bad any moment, they fear.
“Usually, a tiny Indian State like Kerala need not be familiar to average businessmen or Government officials in Italy. But the arrest of the two Marines by the Kerala Police changed that situation. Italians now have specific knowledge of Kerala thanks to the killings and the row over that,” said Oommen Thomas, relative of an NRK in Italy from Pathanamthitta.
Though no anti-India sentiment is perceptible on the surface, there are rumours of Keralites losing job in private firms in Rome and other cities. “It is not clear whether such job losses are the result of the domestic economic problems there or due to deliberate anti-Kerala stance in the wake of the Marines’ row. The fact is that the Keralites’ community there is anxious,” he said.
There were rumours that certain multinational companies based in Italy had developed a tendency of keeping aside job applications from Keralites, but Regina, relative of a computer engineer in Naples, said that this need not be true. “But it is said that companies there seem to be taking extra care while processing Indians’ applications,” Regina, from Thiruvalla, said.
Both Regina and Oommen, however, said that the general feeling among the Indians, especially Keralties, in Italy is that Rome has the responsibility to return the two Marines to India as per the assurance the Italian Government had given to the Indian Supreme Court through its Ambassador in New Delhi.
A resident of Changanassery, Kottayam working in Rome as a senior nurse who did not want to be identified said that problems could now arise for Indians aspiring for citizenship in Italy. “There are reports that Government officials in Rome are refusing to entertain pleas for expediting the processing of Keralites’ files. I am not sure how true these reports are,” she said.
A prominent Kochi-based member of the latin Catholic Church said that it was Italy which should be taking care not to jeopardise the relations with India. Murdered fishermen Jelestine and Ajesh Binku were members of the latin Catholic community.