InterAction is heartened by the House of Representative’s passage yesterday of the resolution “calling on the Government of Sri Lanka to address the human rights and humanitarian needs of its civilian internally displaced Tamil population currently living in government-run camps…” It provides much needed recognition of the problems that persist nearly six months after the official end of military operations in the northern Vanni region. Although the pace of release of civilians from the camps has recently increased, as many as 220,000 internally displaced persons continue to be held in government-run camps leaving them vulnerable to the coming monsoon season with little access to services. InterAction thanks the House for its strong statement supporting those in need and calls upon the U.S. government to continue to pressure the government of Sri Lanka to allow its citizens to move freely, support those displaced to return home when it is safe, and provide humanitarian workers with full access to the camps, transit centers and communities to which the displaced are returning.
-- Samuel A. Worthington
