A lecture on ‘Humanitarian work’ at ICES Auditorium

International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES) will be conducting a lecture on Humanitarian work obscured by the fires of propaganda war: The IDP camps of 2009-12 by Michael Roberts,Department of Anthropology, University of Adelaide on Wednesday (November 7) at 5 pm at the ICES Auditorium,No.2, Kynsey Terrace, Colombo 8.

Working within the parametres of a hardline government decision to set up segregation camps for the Tamil IDPs emerging from the Vanni Pocket in 2009, NGO, INGO and government personnel serviced the camps in the Vavuniya area from 2009 in a remarkable clutch of endeavours that has not been recognized.

The IDP camps were not “death camps.” In this act of self-criticism directed at my “tribe,” viz., the chattering classes, acclaim is heaped on those who deliver: those servicing humanity.