IDPs need speedy action to ensure their security and protection

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission follows;

(September 17, Kowloon, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Sri Lankan government has accepted complete responsibility for ensuring the safety of internally displaced persons living in the Kilinochchi area. The UN agencies and INGOs have complied with the government’s requests to move away from this area. Therefore, the job of providing for the security, as well as necessities such as food, water, medicine and sanitary facilities, which the local community leaders and the departing UN representatives have pointed out as a very serious concern, is now with the Sri Lankan government. Perhaps an even more difficult task is to provide safe passage from the combat areas to the safe areas. All these are matters that, particularly the Tamil community in Sri Lanka itself and outside, will be watching anxiously in the coming days.

Two bishops in the area have already pointed out the problems relating to this situation. The Most Reverend Dr. Rayappu Joseph, Bishop of Mannar, wrote to several ministers in order to highlight the situation in his area.

Plight of the people displaced due to ongoing military operations in the Northern Mannar (AGA divisions of Madhu and Manthati West).

Situation: The un-cleared area of the Mannar district has a population of 39,000 people and they are all displaced and at the moment the whole area is emptied of all its people A week ago the last lot of people who were In the Vellankulam area numbering 21,000 have moved out and are in search of a safer location. They are mostly staying by the side of the roads and in the adjoining jungles without adequate shelter, food, medicine and other basic needs. This type of mass exodus is beginning to take place also in the Districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu. They all are facing aerial bombing, artillery shelling and gun ship firing. These people at Mulankavil area are at the moment trying to flee their villages and are becoming victims of the above bombings. The above people have no hope of a safer location to reside with some peace of mInd as the whole Vanni un-cleared area has become the theatre of intensive war. The whole region is on the move. The children, women and the elderly are the most affected in this situation.

Needed Action: There is a crying need to carve out one or two peace zones in each District for the safety and security of the innocent civilians in this intensive conflict situation. I suggest that the region of Jeyapuram Vannen and Akkarayan in District of Kilinochchi be immediately declared a ‘NO CONFLICT ZONE’ for the innocent civilians to find refuge. There is similar requirement also in the area of the District of Mullaithivu. Until this is successfully done all indiscriminate shelling should strictly be avoided. Action is to be urgently taken also to enable the Government Agent and his staff to provide immediate assistance to the displaced people with food, medicine and shelter. The Government should urgently spell out its plan for the safety and security of the civilians in this region. Urgent action also needs to be taken to permit U.N. Agencies and NGOs to easily reach these affected people and help them in their basic needs. It is of paramount importance that the A9 route be kept open uninterrupted and no military operations be ever allowed to take place on this route as this is the only life line to the un-cleared area where nearly 400,000 civilians are living.

In fact, it is quite natural for all Sri Lankans, irrespective of race, religion and creed to be concerned with the plight of the civilians who are caught up in the midst of the intensification of the fighting between the government forces and the LTTE.

We urge the Sri Lankan government to honour the pledges it has made to provide protection and the necessities of these persons and also create possibilities for those who wish to leave these areas to do so safely. We also urge the United Nations and the international community to assist and to monitor the situation of the internally displaced persons under the present circumstances.
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About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. - Sri Lanka Guardian