By Alok Bhatt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
MADURAI, Sri Lanka – Lynn Pascoe, head of UN’s political affairs department, recently expressed concern over the lack of progress in the removal of Sri Lankan Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) from government-operated refugee camps. Pacsoe and a small team flew out to Sri Lanka hoping to bolster the evacuation process. Pascoe commented that “[The UN is] particularly concerned about the [IDPs] in the camps, and getting them…home.”
Photo: Tamil children stand behind razor-wire in an IDP camp (Source: Associated Press).
Ethnic Tamils have been subject to inhumane conditions in refugee camps since the May defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam. Military strikes on the rebel group effectively ended insurgencies plaguing Sri Lanka for over twenty-five years. However, post-war sanctuary has been failing to provide proper living situations for the displaced Tamils. Camp dwellers describe unsanitary conditions and a lack of soap and toothbrushes. Movement within the camps is stringently restricted. Many IDPs have been wearing the same clothes since they entered the refugee camps. Food and medical supplies have also been inadequate to support the droves of IDPs forced to take shelter. Tamil IDPs have also reported severe mistreatment at the camps, saying military overseers treat them more like prisoners of war than a protected population.
The UN has delivered sharp warnings to the Lankan government that it may no longer be able to aid in funding the immense interment camps. Fearing the failure of the camps, the UN firmly demanded the release of the unwillingly encamped IDPs. Sri Lanka’s Colombo officials responded with a commitment to release 80-percent of the over 280,000 Tamils by the end of this year. However, the Colombo government claims to be unable to successfully evacuate the interment camps until the Lankan military can identify and remove surviving Tamil Tigers from among the civilian IDPs. Numerous human rights groups have criticized the Colombo government for forcing Tamil IDPs to endure sub-human conditions while performing prolonged and questionable screening processes.
The Colombo government also stated that it would have to clear stray landmines strewn about the areas surrounding the camps before releasing Tamil IDPs. Tamils in the interment camps, however, have voiced skepticism and discontent towards the government’s supposed safety measures.
The extended encampment of Sri Lankan IDPs signifies the affliction of ethnic Tamils after a civil war which stole the lives of up 100,000 people. The camps contain IDPs in mean conditions and cannot sufficiently supply fundamental necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter. The UN and multiple human rights organizations continue to pressure the Colombo government into releasing civilians, yet it seems that until further action is taken, the fortune of nearly 280,000 Tamils remains uncertain.
For more information, please see:
Al-Jazeera – UN ‘concerned’ over Sri Lanka camps – 14 September 2009
CBC News – Sri Lankan refugee camps try UN patience – 11 September 2009
Express Buzz – Sri Lankan refugee camps worst in history – 14 August 2009
The Independent – UN warns Sri Lanka over prison camps – 12 September 2009
