British MPs appreciate Government relief efforts

British MPs appreciate Government relief efforts

IDPs in camps better off than those in NFZ:

The group of British Parliamentarians led by Des Browne MP welcomed the Government’s agreement to allow the UN to visit the conflict zone to assess the humanitarian needs of the people there and to plan the evacuation of the remaining civilians.

They urged all parties to facilitate this agreement without delay. “We recognize the scale of the challenge facing the Government in delivering humanitarian relief to all civilians in the north, including those in IDP camps, those in screening centres and rehabilitation camps and those in the conflict zone itself,” said Des Browne, the delegation’s chairman in a statement issued by the British High Commission on their visit yesterday (6) evening.

“We saw the considerable efforts the Government is making to accommodate and assist IDPs who have left the conflict zone.

We spoke to a number of people in the camps who expressed their genuine relief at having escaped the LTTE and reached a place of safety.

It is clear that IDPs in camps are much better off than their friends and relatives who remain in the conflict zone,” the statement continued.

They also expressed their readiness to support the Government’s commitment to resettle 80 percent of the IDP population by the end of the year. The delegation included John Bercow (Conservative MP for Buckingham); Des Browne (Labour MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun); Malcolm Bruce (Liberal Democrat MP for Gordon); Eddie McGrady (Social Democratic and Labour Party MP for South Down) and Mohammad Sarwar (Labour MP for Glasgow Central)

The statement also said: “We are grateful to all those who met with us in Sri Lanka and to the Government for their support and assistance in organising our fact-finding mission.”