By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NEW YORK, U.S.– Nearly 300,000 ethnic Tamils, who are not among the rebels fighting for secession, are being illegally detained by the Sri Lankan government according to Human Rights Watch.  Tamils are being held against their will in overcrowded, barbed-wire camps with sanitation problems.  Most detainees are being kept at Menik Farm, which the United Nations described as the world’s largest displacement camp.

The Tamil rebels were defeated by Sri Lanka’s government last month after decades of civil war.  Despite the victory, the government is still wary of Tamils rebels and fear that some civilian Tamils may still have links to the rebel group.

Thus, for over a year, Sri Lankan government, in violation of international law, has detained almost all civilian Tamils, including entire families, who have been displaced by fighting in northern Sri Lanka.  Although the government is claiming that the detainees will be released by end of this year, concerns over indefinite confinement have been expressed since there are no concrete plans for the release.

Civilian Tamils at Menik Camp (Source: Reuters)

Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “Treating all these men, women, and children as if they were Tamil Tiger fighters is a national disgrace.  Displaced Tamil civilians have the same rights to liberty and freedom of movement as other Sri Lankans.”

In addition to being held against their will, Tamils in the camps are facing misery and hardship according to the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader.  TULF leader, Mr. V. Anandasangaree described the situation in camps saying, “Health, water and sanitation situation is horrible.  Many people are having skin diseases as they didn’t get a chance to have a shower because of water shortage.”  He added, “Pregnant mothers and newborn babies go through a harrowing time…due to scorching heat.”

The United Nations and other aid organizations have demanded for better access to the camps so that they can carry out humanitarian work, but the Sri Lankan government, suspicious of aid agencies, has accused the agencies of helping the rebels in the past.

For more information, please see:

BBC – Sri Lanka Tamils ‘facing misery’ – 1 June 2009

Gulfnews.com – Rights group calls on Sri Lanka to release civilians held in displacement camps – 12 June 2009

Human Rights Watch – Sri Lanka: End Illegal Detention of Displaced Population – 11 June 2009