UN Humanitarian coordinator to SL says:

Menik Farm closure, a milestone event

The exit of the last remaining inhabitant of the Menik Farm has been described as a milestone event towards ending the chapter of displacement in Sri Lanka by United Nations Humanitarian coordinator in Sri Lanka Subinay Nandy .

“The closure of the camp is a significant sign of the transition from conflict to sustainable peace and the commitment of the government to resettling tens of thousands of people back in their homes,” Nady said in a release.

Menik Farm in Sri Lanka, once the world’s largest camp for the displaced from the conflict in Sri Lanka in 2009 has closed, as the last remaining inhabitants leave the camp.

“This is a milestone event towards ending a chapter of displacement in Sri Lanka some three years after the civil war which ended in May 2009, the UN coordinator noted.

But there are still some people who are unable to return to their homes and a solution urgently needs to be found,” Nandy said .

The government is looking for solutions but it is important that the displaced people should be able to make an informed and voluntary decision about their future including being part of the planning and management of their resettlement,” the UN coordinator added.

The government-run Menik Farm was set up in May 2009 to shelter thousands of people fleeing from the final stages of the civil war. At its peak Menik Farm housed 225,000 people in 700 hectares of land.

International organizations have been providing basic services such as shelter, food, water and sanitation, schools and primary health care along with other services.

“Allowing people to settle anywhere in the country and resolving legal ownership of land for those who have resettled away from their original homes is a key part of the reconciliation process,” he noted.