The Sri Lankan government has issued a new deadline to resettle tens of thousands of conflict-displaced still living in camps. It plans to resettlement to be completed by August 31st.
More than 60,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) continue to live in three government camps, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says.
“There was a previous deadline of April but that was not feasible,” the new Minister of Resettlement, Milroy Fernando said, describing the process as a “top priority” for the nation.
Among his ministry’s top priorities was to go beyond resettlement and initiate livelihood support mechanisms for the displaced, he said.
“To facilitate resettlement, the de-mining process too is being expedited. People are so keen to return home. But as a responsible government, we simply cannot allow people to return to their original villages before the completion of the de-mining work. People are very eager to go back to their own villages but we prevent those wanting to return to areas that are still uncleared,” he said.
Under the World Food Programme (WFP), IDPs are provided with food relief for six months from the date of return, while UNHCR provides a shelter grant of US$220 paid in two instalments.
More than 236,000 people have returned home or are staying with host families a year after the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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Minister of External Affairs, Prof. G. L. Peiris will lead the Sri Lanka delegation to the 9th IISS Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue, which is scheduled to be held in Singapore from 4th to 6th June 2010.
During the meeting, Prof. Peiris is scheduled to make a statement on “Counter-insurgency and strengthening governance – Sri Lankan perspective on the challenges of reasserting control and governance in formerly LTTE held areas.”
The Shangri-La Dialogue was initiated in 2002 in response to the need for a forum where the Asia-Pacific’s Defense Ministers could engage in dialogue aimed at building confidence and fostering practical security cooperation. It is an annual gathering organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, London and includes the participation of Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor Leste, UK, US, Vietnam.
The Sri Lanka delegation led by Prof. Peiris also includes Air Chief Marshall Roshan Gunathilake, the Army Commander Lt. General Jagath Jayasuriya and other senior officials.
In reference to the attack Gaza by Israel forces, the Ministry of External Affairs, in a statement, said Sri Lanka deeply regrets the loss of life and injuries resulting from this operation noting that indiscriminate use of force to prevent the carriage of supplies for people under occupation is condemned.
“The reports of attacks during the Israeli military operation on boats carrying supplies for Palestinian people in international waters off the coast of Gaza have caused grave distress to the Government and the people of Sri Lanka. The Government and the people of Sri Lanka extend their sympathies to the families of the victims and injured. Sri Lanka calls for expeditious action to relieve the sufferings of those who are affected by the attacks,” the External Affairs ministry said.
Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L.Peris, has won America’s support to Sri Lanka’s reconciliation efforts, which has been commended by no less a person other than Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State.
Hillary Clinton indicated that America whole-heartedly supports the appointment of the Reconciliation Commission by Sri Lanka and is ready to provide further support if necessary.
Secretary Hillary Clinton emphasized that, “It’s a commission on lessons learned and reconciliation. The end of the conflict in Sri Lanka is, as the minister said, a promising opportunity to move forward on ensuring greater respect for the human rights of all Sri Lankans.“
She further added, “Experience in other countries has shown that such a commission that has the credibility and legitimacy within the country has a valuable role in advancing accountability. And we are very supportive of the approach taken by the Sri Lankans. We, of course, will continue to work with them and to observe this commission. We expect that it will be given a broad enough mandate with the resources necessary to be able to follow the trail of any evidence that is presented.”
In a statement issued afterwards she further said, The United States has long been a friend of Sri Lanka. Our countries share a history of democratic institutions, and we have an active USAID program that has invested more than $1.9 billion in Sri Lanka since 1956 and is currently helping to create new opportunities for people who were displaced by the conflict. Since the LTTE terrorist group was defeated one year ago, USAID has rebuilt or repaired seven schools and a hospital damaged by the conflict, launched public-private partnerships in northern and eastern Sri Lanka to create the equivalent of 5,000 full-time jobs in former conflict zones, supported work training for young people to spur economic development, and provided extensive aid and assistance to internally displaced people seeking to return home. The United States will continue to provide Sri Lanka with humanitarian and de-mining assistance to help heal the wounds of war and bring lasting peace and prosperity to the country.
We also discussed the issue of internally displaced persons with the minister. There has been tremendous progress and many thousands and thousands of such internally displaced persons have returned home. And we discussed the need to continue the safe, dignified and voluntary return to homes. Sri Lanka has made progress, and we will continue to support efforts to safeguard the rights of IDPs and complete their relocation.
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