US impressed by improved conditions for returning IDPs

COLOMBO: Ky Luu, director of the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA), who spent two days inspecting several camps, exit points, and resettled communities in the East of Sri Lanka, has welcomed improvements in the recent resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

He has said the United States would be willing to provide support to newly resettled communities within the context of a safe and dignified return of IDPs, the US Embassy said.

"OFDA supports a safe, secure, informed resettlement process in the East," Luu said. "I am encouraged that services for returnees have clearly improved in the past few months. We support the Government's efforts to give timely access to NGOS and UN agencies assisting them in providing essential services and sharing necessary information to returnees."

Under such a scenario, OFDA will look for opportunities through its partners to assist in raising the level of assistance in partnership with the Government to augment services already being provided, such as cleaning wells and stocking hospitals with essential medicines, he said.

The U.S. delegation saw firsthand that formerly displaced people were transported to their western Batticaloa homes in an orderly fashion and that provision of essential services, such as the rebuilding of wells and the distribution of two-week food rations and kerosene, were taking place.

"These are improvements - we want to be able to add value to that," he said. "Still, we urge the government to focus on improving information dissemination to returnees, as well as on health, water and sanitation, livelihoods, and overall protection."

"USAID partners, the UN, and international relief agencies must continue to have timely access to repatriated villages in order to help assuage fears relayed by villagers that they are unaware of the conditions in villages where they are set to return, whether their former homes are still standing, where they will have the means to support themselves, and whether they will have essential services," Luu said.

"Residents in the Batticaloa area and representatives of international relief agencies expressed concern about the continued presence of paramilitary groups in and around Batticaloa and the disruptive effect on relief activities of extortion, harassment and intimidation by these groups.

The U.S. delegation underlined the importance of the Government of Sri Lanka stopping such illegal activities and asserting Government control over law and order in the East," the Embassysaid.