SRI LANKA: SMALLER IDP CAMPS EXHIBIT SOME

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000774 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/04/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM EAID CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: SMALLER IDP CAMPS EXHIBIT SOME SIMILARITIES TO, SOME DIFFERENCES FROM, MANIK FARM CAMPS REF: A) COLOMBO 769 B) COLOMBO 753 Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES JAMES R. MOORE. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: While the large IDP camp complex at Manik Farm in Vavuniya is the focus of most international attention and press reports, there are nonetheless a number of IDPs held in smaller camps in other areas across Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka. These camps often include a mixture of very recent IDPs, who came out of the "No-Fire Zone" near the end of the war, and other IDPs who have been displaced and in the camps for a number of months or even years. Humanitarian conditions in these camps appear to be in general terms similar to those found in the Manik Farm camps, with some notable differences in camp management. Relations with local government and military officials often seem better at these smaller camps, and INGOs and NGOs are able to get in and address some of the acute humanitarian problems that develop. On the other hand, freedom of movement at these smaller camps is mixed, with IDPs in Pulmoddai completely restricted to camp aside from medical needs, while some IDPs in camps in Mannar are actually being issued 7 day passes, allowing them to leave the camps to find work in the local area. Although direct reports have not been obtained by Post for all the IDP camps outside of Manik Farm, Post has received no word of any regular IDP camps that are completely inaccessible to INGOs and NGOs. End Summary. PULMODDAI CAMP ACCESS GOOD, FAMILY SEPARATION A PROBLEM -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) A UNHCR representative reported to Post on August 4 that her organization had good access to the IDP camps near Pulmoddai on the east coast. Officially this camp is known as the Sahanagama Camp, with two separate facilities housing a total of 2,256 families, or 6,831 individuals. The UNHCR contact said many of these individuals had been evacuated from the "No-Fire Zone" by ICRC in the final weeks of the war, either as wounded or sick, or their caregivers. Most were housed in tents with plastic sheeting similar to what can be found at Manik Farm, but congestion was not as much of a problem in Pulmoddai as at those very large camps. The residents basic needs are being met, at least to emergency standards, but family separation issues are a frequent problem. Because of the hurried nature of the medical-related evacuations towards the end of the conflict, many of these IDPs were separated at that time from other family members, who are in many cases now housed in Manik Farm. Little progress to date has been made on these sorts of family reunification needs at Pulmoddai. 28 elderly IDPs have been released from the Pulmoddai camp thus far. Although other elderly persons have registered to be released, the processing of these requests has been slow. While there is virtually no freedom of movement for the people in this camp, the security presence is reported to be less extensive than on the periphery of Manik Farm. The military controls the exterior security of the camp and police are responsible for patrolling inside. UNHCR has had good success in working with the Ministry of Social Services personnel there dealing with the camp to address the concerns of special needs residents, such as obtaining wheelchairs for disabled IDPs. Post contacted a smaller INGO working in the Pulmoddai area who concurred that access for both INGOs and NGOs was not a problem at the camp in Pulmoddai. He felt this was in large part because access to the camps was handled by civil authorities rather than the Ministry of Defence. FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT IN MANNAR CAMPS -------------- COLOMBO 00000774 002 OF 003 ¶3. (SBU) This same UNHCR representative reported that freedom of movement was significantly better in some of the IDP camps in the Mannar area, with passes being issued in some cases which allowed IDPs to leave the camps and return. These passes were issued for up to 7 days, so in some instances IDPs were able to leave the camps and find short-term work. Returns to the camps were induced by camp authorities through a combination of the passes and family ties, with at least one member of a family required to remain back at the camp. These passes were available not just for IDPs who had been housed in Mannar for some time, but also for some 500 IDPs who had recently arrived from the Vavuniya camps, possibly as a result of GSL efforts to decongest those larger camps at Manik Farm. JAFFNA AREA CAMPS -------------- ¶4. (SBU) PolOff recently visited the Ramavil IDP camp on the Jaffna Peninsula. This camp contains IDPs who were among the last civilians to emerge from the "No-Fire Zone" in mid-May. There are several IDP camps on the Jaffna Peninsula; this camp contains 727 families, or 2,440 individuals. Conditions there were generally adequate in terms of the most basic needs, but there were still some problems reported by residents of insufficient toilets and access to water for bathing and drinking. Drainage was a problem, with flooding of some camp areas during rainstorms and more problems anticipated once the rainy season arrives. Housing consisted of cadjan huts, about 8 ft by 10 ft, with anywhere from 2 to 8 persons in each hut. Camp managers reported that approximately 70% of camp residents did not have their original national identity cards or copies of birth certificates, in large part because many were displaced multiple times over the last year or so. School facilities were in place, with both a pre-school set up by Save the Children inside the camp attending to 425 children, and a grade school set up by UNICEF just outside of the camp for 1,388 students from grade 1 through high school. The grade school was housed mainly in temporary sheds, with a handful of classes held outside under trees due to lack of space. The teachers were reported to be a combination of camp residents and government teachers from the area. ¶5. (SBU) Camp residents appeared calm but very eager to return to their homes. Camp authorities hoped to have vocational training started for adults, but this had not yet happened, and adult residents had little to occupy their time. Local Catholic authorities are allowed to visit the camp to hold services, and a Hindu worship area has been set up in one corner of the camp. INGOs working in the area did not report significant problems with camp access. The military commander in charge of all the camps in the Jaffna area was very friendly and helpful, and appeared genuinely eager to meet Post's delegation and answer questions. CONVERSATIONS WITH JAFFNA CAMP RESIDENTS -------------- ¶6. (C) PolOff spoke with several residents of the Jaffna camp, all of whom expressed their strong desire to go home. When asked about politics and elections in general, they all said they would vote for whichever candidate or party was able to get them home. PolOff spoke with a dual Swedish-Sri Lankan national (please protect). This person had come to Sri Lanka to visit family while taking a break from university studies in 2007. He had planned to stay six months in Sri Lanka, but was then unable to get out of LTTE-held territory and was trapped behind the SLA-LTTE line of control right up until the end of the conflict, when he was finally able to escape the "No-Fire Zone" during the last COLOMBO 00000774 003 OF 003 several days of the war. He told PolOff that during the last days of fighting many civilians were killed and wounded by both sides, and the LTTE prevented civilians from escaping. He said most of the people in this camp had similar stories, had kept quiet about them up until now, and would likely continue to do so for some time for fear of reprisals by the government. It is still unknown how many dual national IDPs such as this person exist in the camps at large. Post contacted the Swedish mission in Colombo to relay that PolOff had been in contact with this particular man. They were aware of his presence at that camp and had spoken to him by phone, but had not been able to see him in person yet, and had no word from GSL about possibly releasing him separately in spite of their requests to the MFA. COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) While it appears there are some differences in the way the smaller IDP camps outside of Manik Farm are being managed, in general the humanitarian conditions are fairly similar, and there do not appear to be any camps that have disappeared off the radar screen of the INGOs. Where camps are small, INGOs and NGOs seem to develop constructive working relationships on the ground to deal with major camp issues. It is unclear how the government intends to deal with the large number of IDPs who were present inside the No-Fire Zone in the final weeks of the war, and specifically with the accounts they likely could tell of civilian dead and wounded during that time-period. The account of the dual national that PolOff interviewed is consistent with other accounts we have heard, indicating that both sides were responsible for significant civilian injuries and deaths, and that the LTTE prevented civilians from leaving the zone by firing on them. MOORE