"Between the May 27 and May 30 reports of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, over 13,000 IDPs simply disappeared from the camps."

"Our attempts to interview the detainees through the wire were met with angry threats of imprisonment and deportation by guards. Two Tamil women shouted "help us" to our translator as we were pushed away from the perimeter fence. Sickened by the violent attempts to stop our access, the charity worker who spoke to us spat out the truth of what was happening here"

"The displaced civilians are suffering from widespread and serious human rights violations at the hands of government security forces and allied paramilitary forces, including enforced disappearance; extra-judicial executions; torture and other ill-treatment, and forced recruitment to paramilitary groups."

Sri Lanka is the tear drop Island south of India. The ethno-religious mix of Sri Lanka, with 20 million people, consists of ethnic Sinhalese (74%), Tamils (18%) in two groups (ethnic Tamils, 12.5%, and the plantation, or Indian, Tamils, 5.5%) and Moors (6.5%).

The Sinhalese and Tamils had their own independent states for over 2000 years until 1833 in Sri Lanka (then known as Ceylon). However, under the British colonial ruling, these two states were combined for administrative convenience, essentially making Tamils "minority" in the Island.

Once the British left in 1948, the Sinhalese chauvinism was promoted by the Sinhalese politicians and Buddhists monks & leaders, who campaigned for "This Island only belongs to Sinhalese" mentality. Consequently, the Sri Lankan elected governments had oppression of Tamils as one of their main agenda to secure votes from the 75% Sinhalese majority.

Sri Lankan government has decided to deliver all-military-solution to Tamils’ aspiration to live freely in Sri Lanka. In doing so, it has killed over 20,000 Tamils in the last few days of war despite the plea of the International Community to consider a political solution.

Currently, 300,000 displaced Tamil civilians are detained in internment camps in Sri Lanka; 80,000 of them are children and many of those kids are orphaned in the recent war.

"Thousands of lives are at risk in Sri Lanka because aid to refugees is being restricted by a government ban on aid agency vehicles entering the camps, and difficulties in securing access for staff , Oxfam said today. [May 21, 2009]

Without appropriate staff and access for vehicles agencies cannot adequately provide urgently needed services including food, water and sanitation equipment, leading to health risks amongst the war-weary refugees who are almost totally reliant on aid. "

These camps are heavily guarded by Sri Lankan Army. Relatives are banned from seeing the IDPs or bringing in food/clothes/medicine or any other necessities.

These Tamil IDPs are faced with starvation, torture, rape, and interrogation; these camps also lack of basic shelter and hygiene facilities resulting in contagious disease spread. These Tamil IDPs live under fear and extortion.

Media and aid agencies are restricted from these camps eliminating various reliable & known sources reporting on the issue.

Many are tortured or simply shot in the refugee camps. There are also reports of regular rapes."

The Sri Lankan government has kicked out few of the handful of aid agencies working in these camps claiming that these aid agencies are sympathetic to LTTE.

"Enforced disappearances and killings of people suspected of being LTTE supporters also occurred in association with the government's taking of LTTE-controlled territory in eastern Sri Lanka in late 2006 and early 2007. Government security forces were implicated in the mafia-style killing of 17 humanitarian aid workers shortly after government forces retook the northeastern town of Mutur from the LTTE in August 2006."

Sri Lankan government has thrown "war victory" parades in the capital Colombo, while refusing to allow access to the Tamil IDPs.

The Tamils who were supposedly "liberated" from "terrorism" were made no part of the celebration. However, it has been reported that Tamils and their livelihoods have been randomly attacked in various parts of Sri Lanka due to the buoyancy of Sinhalese chauvinism.

No long term solutions have been delivered to the Tamils’ desire to live freely in Sri Lanka.

Relief and rebuilding efforts for the Tamil IDPs are intentionally prohibited by the Sri Lankan government; many aid agencies and humanitarian groups have expressed interest in participating in the relief and rebuilding efforts while the Sri Lankan government continues to deny access to these camps.

Sri Lankan government has two reasons to detain these Tamils without any exposure to foreign aid agencies or media. (1) These Tamil IDPs are considered witnesses to Sri Lanka’s brutal human rights violations during the last 3 months of war, and (2) The destruction of these 300,000 Tamil IDPs will ensure a further step advancement in Sri Lanka’s slow genocide of Tamils.

SAFETY, WELLBEING AND SUSTAINBALE SOLUTION TO THESE TAMIL IDPS ARE THE GRAVE CONCERNS.

The 300,000 Tamil IDPs have immediate and urgent requirements to survive and thrive in the current situation.

• Safety: Media, aid agencies and UN monitoring are urgently needed at these IDP camps to prevent torture, rape, child abuse, child solider recruitment and killings of these Tamils.
• Food, Shelter, and Sanitary Facilities: Food, proper shelter, and proper sanitary facilities are essential to ensure wellbeing, respect and dignity of these Tamil IDPs.

"Education as a priority. Education for children should be treated not as a luxury but as a priority, with the goal of ensuring that most IDP children are in school or in non formal education programs."

• Focus on Rebuilding: Livelihoods and infrastructures should be rebuilt in the Tamil regions to ensure the return of these Tamil IDPs to their own regions to live. Education should be considered a priority to the 80,000 Tamil children.

Sri Lankan government should be pressured to allow access to aid agencies and media to the Tamil IDP camps.

An information pamphlet produced by the:

Justice For Tamils
Contact: e-mail: info@justice4tamils.com
Web: http:/www.justice4tamils.com