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Web Feature Embargoed until 9.30 GMTAugust 10
th
2009Unlock the Camps in Sri Lanka
Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the recent war in NorthEast Sri Lanka and living in camps are being denied basic human rightsincluding freedom of movement, said Amnesty International asSecretary General Irene Khan today launched the
Unlock the Camps
campaign at the start the organization's International Council Meeting,a gathering of international delegates in Turkey. Two months after the end of the fighting, the Sri Lankan authorities arestill not addressing properly the needs of the newly displaced. Thecamps are overcrowded and unsanitary.In addition, these are effectively detention camps. They are run by themilitary and the camp residents are prevented from leaving them; theyare denied basic legal safeguards. The government's claim that itneeds to hold people to carry out screening is not a justifiable reasonto detain civilians including entire families, the elderly and children, foran indefinite period.Displaced people have even been prevented from talking to aidworkers. With no independent monitors able to freely visit the camps,many people are unprotected and at risk from enforceddisappearances, abductions, arbitrary arrest and sexual violence.According to government figures, the fighting between the Sri Lankanarmy and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) displaced over409,000 people. At least 280,000 are displaced from areas previouslyunder LTTE control. A dramatic influx of people fleeing the fighting andcrossing to government controlled areas took place from March 2009. The displaced people, including at least 50,000 children, are beingaccommodated in 41 camps spread over four districts. The majority of the displaced are in Vavuniya District where Manik Farm is the biggestcamp.When United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited some of the camps in May, he said: "I have travelled around the world andvisited similar places, but this is by far the most appalling scene I haveseen."While some progress had been made on providing basic needs, muchstill needs to be done on the right to health, food, water, family reunionand access to relatives.
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