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Care for IDPs:
UN welcomes Govt plan
The United Nations advocate for displaced persons today called for
urgent measures to save civilians trapped in a tiny pocket of northern
Sri Lanka by fighting between the Government and the LTTE.
Following a four-day visit to the island nation Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon’s Representative for the Human Rights of Displaced Persons
Walter Kalin expressed concern for the lives of civilians trapped in the
14-square kilometre area of the Vanni declared by the Government of Sri
Lanka as a no-fire zone and said that a series of humanitarian pauses
must be initiated immediately to allow civilians to leave and
humanitarian actors to provide life-saving relief to the remaining
population.
He also reiterated his appeal to the LTTE and that of Mr. Ban and a
raft of other UN officials to allow all civilians under its control to
leave the zone, and called on the Government to scrupulously respect the
no-fire zone for as long as a civilian population remains within it.
During his visit to Sri Lanka, Mr. K„lin spoke to Government
officials concerned with the plight of internally displaced persons (IDPs)
and visited transit sites and camps, according to the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).To
Noting that more than 52,000 IDPs have arrived in the Vavuniya area
since November, he welcomed the Government’s acknowledgement of its
responsibility to protect and assist these persons, and he recognized
measures already taken in this regard. He also said that extraordinary
efforts will be required of the Government, the UN, non-governmental
organizations and donors to meet the needs of this population as well as
those of the tens of thousands expected to arrive in the coming weeks
and months.
He also welcomed the Government’s commitment to create an action plan
for screening IPDs for security, registering them and facilitating their
return in accordance with international standards, according to OHCHR.
“Such a plan surely will be instrumental in building the confidence
among all Sri Lankan citizens and restoring the trust among affected
Tamil populations that will be prerequisites to consolidate a lasting
peace,” OHCHR said. un.org
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