WUNRN
SRI LANKA CONFLICT - WOMEN &
CHILDREN
Displaced mother washing her baby in
19 August 2008
The Sri Lankan military
and the opposing Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are putting tens of
thousands of displaced civilians at risk as fighting continues in the Wanni
area of northern Sri Lanka.
A major concern, as the situation worsens, is that there is little reliable
information available from the ground, as journalists are restricted from
reporting in the area. Both sides consistently contradict each other. This is
why international independent monitors are urgently needed on the ground to
assess the situation.
There is no safe haven for the thousands of families trying to escape the
aerial bombardment and shelling of Sri Lankan forces as they push towards the
town of Kilinochchi. Since May, government aerial bombardment and artillery
shelling has forced more than 70,000 people to flee their homes, primarily in
the Kilinochchi and Mullaitvu districts.
In the LTTE-controlled areas of the Wanni, the Tigers have hindered thousands
of families from moving to safer places by imposing a strict pass system. Some
individuals have been forced to stay behind as guarantors, to ensure the return
of other family members.
"These people are running out of places to go and basic necessities,"
said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka researcher. “The Tigers
are keeping them in harm’s way and the government is not doing enough to ensure
they receive essential assistance.”
Amnesty International has received reports that the government is keeping those
who have been able to leave LTTE-controlled areas in temporary shelters that
often operate as de facto detention centres.
Witnesses from Kalimoddai camp in Mannar district told the organization that
more than 200 families who are held there cannot exit the camp for any reason
(except to go to school) without obtaining a pass from the government's
security forces.
Despite calls for the displaced to be allowed to move via humanitarian
corridors to safer areas where they can receive essential aid and assistance,
they are in fact being used as a buffer between the two opposing forces.
Sri Lankan media reported Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the
Army, ordering his troops in the Wanni area to seal any routes out of the area
in order to stop LTTE infiltration. Sealing the border will also prevent
civilians from fleeing the conflict zones.
"Both sides to this long conflict have again shown that they will
jeopardize the lives of thousands of ordinary people in the pursuit of military
objectives,” said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty’s Sri Lanka researcher. “In the
absence of independent international monitors, Sri Lankan civilians lack
protection and remain at the mercy of two forces with long records of
abuse."
The government has given reassurances at the weekend that they will open three
safe corridors and that, for the moment, the government is facilitating
humanitarian assistance through Omanthai checkpoint - the crossing point
between government-controlled territory and the area held by the LTTE. This aid
is desperately needed but humanitarian agencies operating in the area have
voiced serious concerns that if the conflict continues displaced civilians will
face greater hardship.
Amnesty International has established that around a third of the displaced
families were forced to live in the open air with no shelter. Many could not
receive food, tarpaulin for temporary shelters and fuel because of a lack of
access to LTTE-controlled areas and restrictions on goods going through
Omanthai. The lack of adequate privacy for women and girls has led to an
increase in reports of sexual and gender-based violence.
The displacement of civilians increased dramatically in July, with 14,000 new
families made homeless. As of 7 August, government figures indicate that the
overall number of displaced people is between 150,000 and 160,000.
Read
More
Sri Lanka: Civilians continue to face deadly daily threat
(Press release, 11 July 2008)
OCHA map of humanitarian access to Sri Lanka as of 12 August
2008
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SRI
LANKA-Thousands of Families Fleeing Conflict in Sri Lanka |
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The U.N. refugee agency is expressing deep concern over the safety of thousands of families fleeing fierce fighting in the north of Sri Lanka, as the conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam reaches new heights. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva.
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Sri Lankan
hospital staff carry a wounded civilian for medical care at a hospital in
Vavuniya, about 230 kilometers north of |
The U.N.
Refugee Agency says the situation in Sri Lanka is becoming increasingly dire.
The UNHCR is calling on both the government and Tamil Tigers to take immediate
steps to ensure the protection of those affected.
It says both sides must allow freedom of movement for those seeking safety from
the fighting and ensure that the internally displaced are not targeted and not
located near areas where there could be fighting.
UNHCR Spokesman, Ron Redmond, says aid agencies are finding it difficult to
meet the increased needs of the civilian population as the fighting escalates
and the number of people fleeing their homes increases.
"In addition, supplies of food, shelter materials, water and sanitation
equipment, and fuel for the transportation of civilians are running dangerously
low," he said. "Efforts by humanitarian agencies to replenish the
stocks are being hindered by the strict restrictions on the transport of goods
into the region. UNHCR calls upon the authorities to allow unhindered passage
for essential supplies as soon as possible."
Redmond says exact figures are still sketchy on the number of people who have
fled the conflict. But, he notes more than 12,000 families are reported to have
been displaced in July alone.
He says many of these people have been displaced several times. He says people
move ahead of the shifting frontlines to avoid the crossfire and to stay out of
shelling range.
He says recently, U.N. access to the majority of the 10,000 displaced families
in the Karachchi area was cut off because of security concerns. He says camps
for the internally displaced are becoming overcrowded, therefore the UNHCR,
local authorities and other agencies are trying to find other sites to
accommodate newcomers fleeing the violence.
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