Colombo: Sri Lanka`s opposition Marxist JVP
party asked the government to expeditiously bring back about
one lakh displaced people now living in Tamil Nadu and warned
that international pressure would mount if IDPs in northern
region are not resettled soon.
"There are around 4 lakh Internally Displaced Persons
(IDPs) including one lakh in India and the government should
not delay resettling them", the propaganda secretary of the
JVP Vijitha Herath told reporters.
Herath said nearly one lakh Sri Lankans of Tamil origin
living in India should also be brought back soon.
He wanted to know the governmental measures taken to
resettle Tamil IDPs in their homes in Srilanka`s northern
region Wanni and east by the year end.
"There is no action. There is disease that is occurring
in the refugee camps (in Vavuniya and elsewhere). People are
dying", Herath said.
He noted even Germany and Japan faced challenges
resettling IDPs decades ago during war period but they tackled
the problem successfully.
International pressure that was once exerted on Sri Lanka
due to LTTE could now shift on the IDP issue if around three
lakh Tamil refugees were not resettled early, he said.
Over 15,000 displaced persons have been resettled in
Jaffna, Trincomalee, Battticaloa, Ampara and Mannar districts
this year, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights
Mahinda Samarasinghe said.
"We have screened and readied for release over 10,000
persons from welfare centres and relief villages who are
elderly, are pregnant or lactating mothers or are children",
Samarasinghe told last week.
The minister said 10,000 persons, including child
recruits or those affiliated to the organisation in some way
were taking rehabilitation programmes.
"All these persons deserve our care and attention. We are
in the process of registering them, with well over 50 percent
having been registered to date," Samarasinghe said.
Bureau Report
