The camps are
closed but the problems haven't gone away
| by Fr Reid
Shelton Fernando
( October 19,
2012, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The world’s largest camp for internally
displaced persons was closed permanently on September 24.
Menik Camp was
the last one still open after the end of the civil war. Having heard the
experiences of other resettled people, tales of broken promises, of not being
allowed back to their original villages, of harassment and ill treatment, some
of the last occupants of Menik Camp did not want to leave. But their views were
unheeded.
On the day the
displaced persons – comprising about 381 families – were moved out, the army
bulldozed the camp to the ground.
Where were these
people taken? Were they taken to their original villages? It isn’t clear.
Moreover, no one seems keen on asking these questions and any news that does
come out is monitored or suppressed. So much for media freedom.
The officer in
charge of the resettlement did categorically state that the refugees would not
be taken to their original villages, citing reasons of “national security.” So
why were they moved at all? Was it simply to remove the term “Internally
Displaced Persons [IDPs]” from Sri Lanka’s political landscape? Was it because
of the UN Human Rights Council’s scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s rights record? Was it
so that Sri Lanka can say to the UN and the world that there are no more IDPs
here?
The official
explanation for keeping these citizens for so long in sub-human and unhygienic
conditions is that the land had to be de-mined. But this is questionable, as
security forces and people from the South moved freely around these areas. Of
course, another reason for maintaining the camps would be to prevent any future
uprising.
But now the camps
are closed, the question is how are the returning Tamils going to live? They
have not been deployed for development work. In rebuilding the nation’s
infrastructure in the North and East, Tamils have been excluded from the
workforce.
In Mulativu
district, the children of resettled families have no local schools and have to
walk many kilometers if they want an education. There is no electricity, no
medical facilities and people are not allowed to hold meetings without the
approval of the armed forces. Recently in a parish church, there was a function
to welcome a new priest, but the parish priest had not told the relevant
authorities. He got into a lot of trouble as a consequence.
Sister Nicola,
who regularly visited the people at Menik Camp, confirmed the appalling
conditions there. In a report she sent to concerned people and activists, she
made the point that their needs and wants are simple: they want to go back to
their original villages, cultivate their property, rear cattle and make their
own living.
“Today the Tamil
people are forced to become paupers and scavengers, digging through rotten
garbage,” she said. “Even buses refuse to take them. This was the scene in all
the places I visited and all I could do was weep. I just could not stop my
tears when I saw children and women carrying loads on their backs. These
children should be in school, yet the government says they have freed the
people and resettled them. Assistance was given only by the UNHCR and some
other NGOs. Their future is bleak and dark. Can they hope for a bright future?
Only God knows.”
Let’s hope that
help will be announced in the 2013 national budget. If not, it will be up to
Church organizations, NGOs and social activists. I do feel that this is a
God-given task, to show solidarity with these suffering, innocent people.
Father Reid
Shelton Fernando is a human rights activist and archdiocese coordinator of the
country’s Christian Workers Movement.
