The Government is making arrangements to the
Internally Displaced Persons who are
displaced due to the ongoing military
operations in North before the end of the
year, said Minister of Disaster Management
and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe.
“There is no substitute for wanting to
resettle them as soon as possible. But at
the same time we are not going to take short
cuts. We have to ensure that the environment
is safe, so that the resettlement is
sustainable. Once they are resettled, we
will start addressing their livelihood
needs. There is a lot of work to be done,”
said the Minister in an interview with The
Nation newspaper.
Following are excerpts of the interview he
had with `The Nation'.
Q: What would you say is the greatest
challenge facing the government in terms of
getting civilians out of the battle zones?
A: The greatest challenge now in
terms of what is happening in the Wanni, is
to get the civilians out of the control of
the LTTE, and then to look after them and
resettle them in their original places of
habitat. That is the immediate challenge. Of
course as the LTTE is taken out of the
picture, there are new challenges that need
to be faced in a post-conflict scenario.
Those are political, economic, cultural,
linguistic and development issues that need
to be addressed. And of course social issues
such as reintegrating ex-combatants into the
mainstream of society so that they can start
a new life. We are now in the process
through this ministry, of preparing for the
post conflict phase. Right now the main
challenge is to get civilians out of harm’s
way.
As much as what the government is trying to
do to get the civilians out, we call upon
our international friends and partners to
bring about pressure on the LTTE to release
these people immediately. We would also like
to call on the Tamil Diaspora as some of
them do have a lot of influence even now
vis-à-vis the LTTE leadership, since they
have been propagating the ideals of the LTTE
for many years and have been the
organisation’s lifeblood. We call on them to
look at what is happening in the Wanni
realistically: look at the way the bomber
blew herself up in the midst of women and
children: look at the way the LTTE in cold
blood, shot and killed those who were
escaping three days ago. Look at all the
other civilian deaths occurring inside, and
use whatever influence they have on the LTTE,
to ask them to let go of these civilians who
have no role, and no part, in this conflict.
I think the Tamil Diaspora can do this- and
that they should do it- if they really have
any love for their brothers and sisters in
the north.
Q: Can you take us through what happens
to these civilians once they enter
government controlled territory?
A: There is a four step process which
we are in fact finalising now. When they
first come out, they are received by the
military who are at the front line. These
are not soldiers carrying guns, but doctors
in the military for example and other women
and male cadres without guns. There is an
initial screening process, because you
cannot have other suicide bombers blowing
themselves up.
Then they are immediately given a
nutritional pack consisting of several
items, and medical attention is also
immediately given to everyone. Subsequently
they are given a hot meal, and a further
ration pack for them to consume whenever
they want.
This process takes between 24-48 hours the
most. Then they are immediately handed over
to the GA. The GA comes in on the second
stage. The GA has now identified government
buildings where these IDPs are housed. There
we have also ensured there are comfortable
surroundings, medical attention by way of a
small medical unit in each of the shelters,
people who would look at the schooling needs
of the children, and special needs to be
addressed through a ‘Help Desk’ in each of
the stations. If families are separated for
example in the process of getting out of the
battle zone, people can go to the Help Desk
to try and track down their family members.
There will be people there with
communication facilities who will be able to
contact other camps, and look for these
people and unite the families.
So these kind of services will be provided,
and of course cooked meals are provided
along with whatever other pressing needs
there may be. Here we are looking at keeping
them for only between 4-6 weeks maximum. We
are in the process of constructing welfare
villages at the moment. These villages will
have detached housing where separate
families can live, there are separate toilet
facilities for women and men, a hospital, a
small pre-school and older children will be
sent to the closest school. Each of the
villages will also have a vocational
training centre, so the youth inside the
villages can use their time productively by
learning a skill. We are also looking at the
possibility of teaching them English so that
they can improve their employability.
Sporting grounds and a volleyball court are
also going to be part of the welfare village
system. Those villages will be run by
civilians, much like the second stage, where
they will be housed in government buildings.
In both stages we have decided to invite the
UN and its preferred partners to go in there
and complement whatever assistance the
government is giving. There is no access
issue either now, and people from outside
can now come and provide whatever facilities
are needed.
The idea is that while these people are in
the villages, to start the de-mining process
as a first step. Then the roads have to be
reconstructed and electricity, water and
other infrastructure facilities have to be
restored. Then the basic government
institutions such as the divisional
secretariat, the post office, a bank etc
will be opened simultaneously. Next we will
organise what we call ‘go and see’ visits.
We will organise community leaders to be
taken to the villages and see for themselves
what development has taken place, and they
will then decide whether it is safe for them
to go back. These community leaders will
come back and tell the others what they have
seen, and it will be an informed choice that
they will make to go back.
No one is going to be forced to go back.
They have to believe that it is safe to
return, and only then will they be taken
back. All this will be done in the shortest
possible time. We’re looking at, before the
end of the year. I don’t really think it
will take so long. We have a lot of
experience in doing this. For instance we
resettled 40,000 people in Muttur in 40
days; Vakarai was de-mined, infrastructure
was restored and people resettled within 3-4
months. There is no substitute for wanting
to resettle them as soon as possible. But at
the same time we are not going to take short
cuts. We have to ensure that the environment
is safe, so that the resettlement is
sustainable.
Once they are resettled, we will start
addressing their livelihood needs. There is
a lot of work to be done.
Q: Do you envisage a huge military
presence in the area, once the people are
resettled?
A: Let’s be realistic. We can’t ask
the military to withdraw from these areas.
Even after resettlement they have to be
given security. We are talking about an end
to a 25 year conflict. We also know that
there have been LTTE cadres who have been
intermingling with the IDPs in the hope of
infiltrating. So there is a lot of work to
be done in the future.
So I think the people will want the Police
and the military to be there. It will not be
a military run place of course: we obviously
want to have elections soon. Local
government elections first, provincial
elections next, and there will be a civil
and political administration in those areas.
But of course given the motives and
determination of the LTTE, there is always a
threat of another move by them. So the most
important thing in my opinion is to win the
hearts and minds of the people, and to do
that, we must really address their genuine
grievances- not by means of a military
solution, but through a political
settlement.
Q: After the suicide bombing at the
beginning of the week, has anything changed
in the screening process, when people enter
government controlled area?
A: Well, the unarmed nature of the
soldiers will continue, because we are
coming into contact with civilians. People
who are with the civilians, as soon as they
come out, in any case are doctors and
medical staff. I can’t give you details of
the change for security reasons, but there
was a change. We don’t want information
going into the wrong hands, because they
will try to circumvent the measures we have
put in place. The LTTE’s game plan is to
create a fear psychosis in the people: to
say ‘don’t go, if you go we will kill you’.
It’s a tough one, it is not easy. But we
have taken certain steps with the intention
of maintaining the safety of civilians when
they are coming in. It is in the interest of
the civilians that whatever step has been
taken without inconveniencing the civilians
and ensuring their rights. It is being done
professionally, learning from the mistake of
what happened last Monday, and ensuring that
kind of thing doesn’t happen in the future.
Q: Since the bombing, have you
noticed a drop in the number of civilians
escaping the fighting?
A: On the day of the bombing, we
had a figure of about 4000-5000 people
coming in. The next day also around the same
number came out. But what happened after
that was, that the LTTE was forcing people
into get into their trucks, and started
taking them eastwards outside the safe zone.
They could not control the situation in the
safe zone because people were just breaking
ranks and coming out. People were determined
to get out, and they were being led by
priests, nuns and other community leaders.
What has happened is that now the bulk of
the people in the safe zone have now gone to
the newly declared safe zone, on the coast
near Mullaitivu, and they are all there. So
we are in the process of exploring ways and
means of getting them out, either by asking
them to come to Mullaitivu, which is not
very far from where they are currently, and
then the Army will receive them there, and
bring them to safety. Or we are exploring
possibilities of evacuating them by boat.
Q: When do you foresee journalists
and others being given access into say, even
Vavuniya, to actually see these processes
you have outlined at work as it were?
A: We don’t really want to make
this a circus either. These are people who
could be highly traumatised as a result of
being in the situation they were. These are
not animals, they are human beings.
Thrusting a microphone in front of them and
making them speak, with tears pouring down
their faces is a good image for a television
station, but what about the well being of
these people? What about what they are going
through in having to recall and narrate what
they faced? From a government perspective,
their story of getting out, is excellent
propaganda for us. But we don’t want to put
our citizens through that sort of thing.
We of course want to facilitate the media to
capture the situation as it is. We are
working on it, and we hope to send the media
in shortly. Notwithstanding this, certain
foreign and local journalists have been sent
to these areas, and they have filed reports
from there which have been aired worldwide.
We will continue to allow this as well. Very
soon we will allow all of you to go there
and see for yourself what the government has
been doing, and allow you to find out what
the peoples’ aspirations are as well. I’m
all for the media to be allowed in there,
but in a measured manner so that the people
are not inconvenienced.
Q: In terms of funding for these
welfare villages and the actual resettlement
process, how much comes from the government,
and how much from foreign agencies and
governments?
A: Quite clearly the bulk of the
funding comes from the government. Even the
food convoys – up to now the GAs and the
Ministry of Relief Services, have sent
38,000 metric tonnes of food and non food
items. Whereas the World Food Programme and
Others in the UN system have sent 8000
metric tonnes into the Wanni. There is a big
difference. In the same way, in the running
of the camps, the responsibility is taken by
us. We give the GAs the resources, and they
use those resources to obtain the camp
needs.
As I told you, we have started allowing UN
agencies and the UN’s preferred partners
amongst the INGOs and NGOs to go in there,
and complement the efforts of the
government. For example UNICEF is the focal
point in the UN system for providing water
and sanitation. UNICEF works through
organisations like Oxfam. So we have allowed
them to go in there and help us to put up
toilets and provide safe drinking water. The
UNHCR is the UN’s focal point on camp
welfare as well as shelter provision. UNHCR
has already started providing shelter
requirements to the GAs for these camps. So
they are handling all this very effectively,
but they are only complementing the
government. Government takes the major
responsibility, and even if the UN and the
INGOs and NGOs are not there, we will run
the camps to the same standard. But since
they have come to Sri Lanka on our
invitation, and are here to discharge a
mandate in these areas, and they want to get
involved and help us, we have said, okay,
come and help us. So that relationship will
continue.
Q: Given the recent media play the
civilian situation in the Wanni has been
getting internationally, there have been
some negative perceptions created about
international organisations, like even the
ICRC which has always been a neutral player
in our conflict scenarios. Do you, like
others in the government, see the ICRC’s
statements to the press as a real problem?
Or are they permitted to make their own
observations in a conflict zone?
A: The ICRC was the only
international organisation which was allowed
by us to remain in the Wanni because of the
special services they provide, such as
manning the entry-exit points, exchange of
dead bodies etc. We asked them to stay in
and they did an excellent job. ICRC is not a
flyby night operation. It has been around
for a time-tested period. They have been
working in Sri Lanka for a long period and
doing some solid work. But that does not
give them the authority nor the space to
make subjective statements. That also does
not make the ICRC a perfect organisation –
and no one is perfect. I acknowledge that
they are making a huge contribution, and we
will continue to facilitate them and work
closely with them. But everyone makes
mistakes, and the ICRC’s nature is such that
it works in a very confidential manner all
the time, which is why they are given the
access that other organisations are not
given in this type of a conflict situation.
They have a very professional approach, and
they don’t play things out through the
media. If there is a shortcoming, they seek
a time with the government and they deliver
their demarches. The same way they do that
with the other party to the conflict.
Lately we find that there are very
sensational statements being made by some
members of the ICRC. Now I don’t agree that
this is correct. I don’t think the ICRC
should do this. And some of these statements
have been extremely subjective. I hope that
the ICRC will correct themselves in the
future because they are a very valuable
organisation, and we want the ICRC to stay
and continue their work in this country. We
have not had any major issues, and I hope
that they will follow the practice of
confidentially when taking up issues with
either side, so that they can be
constructively addressed and sorted out,
rather than trying to play it out through
the media.
Q: As Minister of Human Rights,
how much flak are you really getting from
places like Geneva and New York about the
incessant attacks on media personnel in this
country?
A: There is great concern when
journalists are attacked and killed. Very
real concern is expressed. We have of course
been keeping them informed of what the
government has been doing in terms of
setting up special investigative teams into
these killings and incidents of
intimidation, and so on. I am not in charge
of investigations conducted by the Police.
But what I can say is that as Minister for
Human Rights and a member of the government,
my desire is also to see that the culprits
are caught and dealt with, within the laws
of this country. We are all waiting for this
to happen but it is not an easy thing to do,
because in this type of a complex situation
it is a very hard challenge to overcome.
When the Defence Secretary was targeted in a
bomb explosion, it has taken more than two
and half years, and there is still no
conclusion reached in investigations. Same
goes for the assassination attempt on the
Army Commander. But at the same time there
have been successes. There was a time we
were hearing about abductions and
disappearances in Colombo. An MP from the
UNP named a certain individual behind it,
and the CID moved in to investigate the
claim. This person was arrested and almost
overnight the abductions stopped. The same
thing happened with regard to the spate of
investigations in the east. In both these
cases what was found was that these
abductions were taking place by and large
for ransom. This was criminal activity.
People were using the tense situation in the
country to make money. So there have been
some successes. But I would have preferred
if there had been more success in bringing
the proponents of these attacks to book. I
don’t mind admitting that I take the flak
when I go abroad when these things are
thrown at me. I put across whatever the
government has done in the most convincing
manner I can. But the fact remains that
until the culprits are caught, there is that
question mark, always. So let’s hope that
the investigations will render results- so
that whatever damage our country’s image has
suffered, can be repaired.
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