Visiting the Vavuniya IDP camps: an uplifting experience - N. Ram

by sudharaka | July 3, 2009 at 09:09 pm

1093 views | 15 Recommendations | 17 comments

N. Ram, the much respected editor of the Hindu was recently in Sri Lanka to get quality first-hand experience regarding the IDP facilities set up in Vavunia, which have come under a lot of flack, by those who report citing anons, ghosts and ghouls.

His first-hand assessment refutes the view floated by the western media, largely using second-hand counts.

According to Ram:

Conditions in these camps are much better than what has been depicted, visibly better than conditions in Sri Lankan refugee camps in India.
Basic needs, including education, vocational training and medication are being met.
President Rajapaksa admitted some “shortcomings,” especially the lack of “freedom of movement.”
The Sri Lankan government is now confident that the President’s 180-day resettlement plan can be implemented.

What became clear during the visit to Anandakumaraswamy Village in Zone 1, through glimpses of other camps in the vast IDP relief complex, and in conversations in Tamil with some of the displaced people was this. Conditions in these camps are much better than what has been depicted, mostly second-hand, that is, without visiting the camps, in western media reports. Moreover, they are visibly better than conditions in Sri Lankan refugee camps in India, which are still mostly inaccessible to journalists, researchers, and other outsiders. Basic needs, including education for the schoolchildren and vocational training for older boys and girls, are being met by the Sri Lankan government with assistance from the United Nations, a number of countries, including India, and more than 50 INGOs.

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rJohn

at 22:30 on July 3rd, 2009

Ram is a GOSL paid consultant, like Vijay Nambiar. GOSL spend millions of dollars in propaganda, Fresh claims over Tamil casualties
http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/world/asia_pacific/tamil+casualties+as+troops+advance/3217257

rJohn

at 22:35 on July 3rd, 2009

Tamils languishing in Sri Lankan Death Camps
http://my.telegraph.co.uk/richarddixons/blog/2009/06/13/tamils_languishing_in_sri_lankan_death_camps

Why GOSL expeling the reporters who write the truth, BBC, CH 4, ...

sudharaka

at 09:44 on July 4th, 2009

Welcome to NowPublic , rJohn!

Ah... a fan of Richard Dixons of Cluster Bomb fame.

B12N

at 22:42 on July 3rd, 2009

"President Rajapaksa admitted some “shortcomings,” especially the lack of “freedom of movement.” some "shortcomings"?

It is another staged visit. If the conditions were that good then any media can report that. And I'm sure that the IDP's he have spoken to are selected and have been instructed by the government how to 'answer'.

It is ridiculous to say that the western media didn't report the real situation.

It is the government blocking free media to hide their atrocities.

This is just one of many camps. There are many other Nazi like concentration camps where thousands of young Tamils are detained.

sudharaka

at 22:44 on July 3rd, 2009

Thank you for reading and commenting, B12N!

StopSriLankanStateTerrorism

at 23:05 on July 3rd, 2009

No freedom of movement,

No visitors allowed

Restricted access for NGOS

Restricted access for media

No procedures, registrations, Tamil civilians incl 80,000 kids kept behind barbed wire camps against their will.

And he claims "Uplifting experience"???

Lava Lavah (not verified)

at 03:26 on July 4th, 2009

"No freedom of movement,

No visitors allowed

Restricted access for NGOS

Restricted access for media

No procedures, registrations, Tamil civilians incl 80,000 kids kept behind barbed wire camps against their will."

All because of the LTTE.

We don't want those pathetic shit heads to come back in any form. the government must protect its people.. and it should take necessary steps.

DONT BLAME THE GOSL BLAME THE LTTE!

StopSriLankanStateTerrorism

at 05:57 on July 4th, 2009

LTTE is history. It is the Government of Sri Lanka holding this people against their will.

The same lame excuse as always. Still after claiming LTTE defeat and many victory celebrations.

Government killed tens of thousands innocent Tamil civilians.

300,000 detained in concentration camps

Media blackout

And you say Don't blame the government? WAKE UP!

sudharaka

at 06:44 on July 4th, 2009

The GoSL is the very reason that these people have something resembles a life right now. Even when they were leading their nomadic life in the [late] LTTE human shield, it was the GoSL who supplied them with the necessities.

The very reason that the parties who supported the venture of the [late] terrorosts expect the GoSL to undo the damage, done to the SL Tamils by the [late] LTTE during the last 30 years, in in less than 03 months, reveals their hypocracy/duplicity.

They very well know that their only slimmest of chances of an LTTE revival depends on how they manage to take their made-up/imaginary tales of GoSL atrocities towards the Tamil IDP's, to the world.

Unlike those who proliferate twisted tales of hear-say, ghosts and ghouls, the GoSL together with the people of Sri Lanka have already proved they can do it by resettling the affected people in the East, and more recently in Mannar, in the North West, and that is a fact.

Moreover, such loudmouths have done absolutely NOTHING for the betterment of the life of their affected brethren in internment relief villages.

Uncle Sam (not verified)

at 08:50 on July 4th, 2009

"...ghosts and ghouls..."

...and shadows. Shadows jumping out of every corner..!

Tamiya

at 11:37 on July 6th, 2009

Sure. Let's blame the LTTE for all that happened after 1980s, until May 18, 2009.

Who are you going to blame for all the killings that happened before 1980s, which in turn actually created Tamil militant forces ?

Masscres of Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1950:

There have been many massacres that happened in Sri Lanka since 1950, before a Tamil militant ever fired a single gun shot at a Sri Lankan Army.

Sri Lanka got "freedom" from British in 1948. Tamils separate state also vanished in the combined administration of the British. Once the British left, the Sinhalese majority started its oppression on Tamils, who were made minority in the Island by losing their sovergien state to the British ruling.

(1) Inginiyakala massacre - 05.06.1956: Tamils peacefully protested against Sinhalese settlements using state funds in Tamil regions. Sinhalese thugs attacked "150 Tamils working in a sugar cane farm and factory in Inginiyagala under the Galoya scheme were killed. The bodies of the dead and injured were thrown on a fire." - NESOHR. Nobody was arrested or charged for the killing of these 150 Tamils in Sri Lanka.

(2) 1958 pogrom - Tamils peacefully protested against the Sinhala only Act passed in the Sri Lankan government. Sinhala mobs attacked Tamils. "Women were raped and Tamil property was damaged. A priest was burnt alive inside his Kathirvelayutha temple in Pananthura. The Sri Lankan government looked on as the violence against Tamils continued. Many Tamil homes were set alight. Babies were dropped in hot tar." - NESOHR. 300 Tamils were killed in this pogrom. Nobody was arrested or charged for the killing of these 300 Tamils in Sri Lanka.

(3) Tamil research conference massacre 10.01.1974 - Tamils were preparing to hold a research conference in Jaffna, a city in North of Sri Lanka.

"Hundreds of thousands of people from different parts of Jaffna came into town to attend theconference. Conference proceeded on a grand scale. No conferences of the past were conducted in such a scale and with such enthusiasm. The entire Jaffna town was in 10 January was being celebrated as the final day of the conference.

The last item was speeches made by experts in Tamil language about the greatness of the language and the culture based on it. Prof Naina Mohammad from Tamilnadu in India was delivering the final speech. At that instant, the police lead by the Deputy Inspector of Police for Jaffna, Chandrasekara, started to attack the people at the conference. The police also opened fire. Nine civilians were killed, the stages were destroyed. The same Inspector of Police Chandrasekara was later promoted to the post of Inspector of Police by the then Prime Minister Srimavo Bandaranayaka." - NESOHR

(4) 1977 communal pogrom - Over 1500 Tamils killed by Sinhala mobs with knife, iron bars and logs in various parts of Sri Lanka, including Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Ratmalana, Badhulla and Colombo, with many injured; The Sri Lankan Security forces only aided the Sinhala mobs.

The Sansoni commission investigated the violence recommended compensation to all Tamils affected, but the Sri Lankan government never acknowledged the recommendation.

Background: "In the July 1977 parliamentary elections the United National Party received a landslide victory capturing 5/6 of the parliamentary seats amounting to 140 seats. The party that was in government, the SLFP, received only 8 seats. Tamil Allaiance group campaigning on an election platform of working towards an independent Tamil Eelam state won 18 seats by receiving the vast majority of the Tamil votes.

This was not well received by the Sinhala politicians.

In was in this context that the Sri Lankan police in Jaffna was pulled up by the public for sexual harassment of school girls at a school exhibition. Armed police later arrived at the scene in large numbers and began threatening people.

Following this, the Jaffna-Colombo and the Colombo-Jaffna night mail trains were attacked when it stopped at the Anuradhapuram railway station. Follwing these attacks, violence against Tamils spread through out the island. Tamils in Trincomalee, Vavuniya, Ratmalana, Badhulla and Colombo were badly affected. Tamil Alliance members of parliament raised the violence in parliament. Yet, the then President in Colombo J R Jayawardhana did not even declare curfew or emergency. He said that he does not like to rule the country under an Emergency Regulation." - NESOHR

And Who are you going to blame now for the mistreatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka after the demise of LTTE in May 2009 ? Why the Tamils are being treated as potential terrorists and detained in the IDP camps ? Have you seen the film Minority Report ? The Sri Lankan government is exercising the expected detention policy, as assuming all the Tamils are LTTE, and by doing so validating that there is a reason for them to become so.

Lava Lavah (not verified)

at 03:27 on July 4th, 2009

"No freedom of movement,

No visitors allowed

Restricted access for NGOS

Restricted access for media

No procedures, registrations, Tamil civilians incl 80,000 kids kept behind barbed wire camps against their will."

All because of the LTTE.

lalith

at 11:54 on July 5th, 2009

I see that things are settling down in the IDP camps. People can say anything about them but GOSL is doing well and definitely better than what the critics (mostly LTTE supporters) say about them.

If the President admitted to shortcomings, you can be rest assured that they will be fixed.

No visitors allowed - This is wrong. Visitors are allowed on relationship basis. They are taken to a visitor;s area where they can speak to their relatives. As you may be knowing, some IDPs were even released to the relatives. The only difference is that visitors are not allowed to roam around the camp.

I don't think it is right to keep on criticizing GOSL at every nook and turn. Things are improving rapidly. We should give up hatred. That's bad.

Manik (not verified)

at 12:05 on July 5th, 2009

"Restricted access for NGOS"

A great decision for very good reasons.

Rohan Perriera (not verified)

at 01:34 on July 6th, 2009

N.Ram is a hypocrite who got the Sinhalese government award "Sinhala Ratna" for his favouritism towards the Sri Lankan government. He is simply a broker who is in journalism using his skills to do the PR exercise to cover up the massacre in Vanni and the plight of Tamils is concentration camps. His relentless vengence towards the Tamils is known by the world. He is wearing a journalist mask spoiling the ethics of journalism. Its not surprising that the caste oppressors of India Brhaminists and the Killers of Vanni Tamils join hands.
N.Ram's name as journalist will go down in history.

Tamilan_Sri lanka (not verified)

at 21:42 on July 17th, 2009

hallo. All these people are living like animals. Give them The rights to get out and let them get help from NGO's . THEY DONT NEED GOVERMENT "PROTECTION".

If anyone trust the God , then plz release them all. They are dieing one bye one :(

Rifadh (not verified)

at 22:04 on September 7th, 2009

"All these people are living like animals" True. They have still not fully recovered from the LTTE influence. Be patient, GoSL is doing it's best to rehabilitate them and make them human......