Relief camps in Sri Lanka are similar to the ones during Hitler’s time” – Mangala

“Relief camps in Sri Lanka are similar to the ones during Hitler’s time” – Mangala



2009-08-19 | 3.40 PM

SLFP (M) Wing Leader Mangala Samaraweera said that people who return after traveling to the Menik Farm and other so called relief camps set up by the government to house the internally displaced persons (IDPs) have described the camps to be similar to those set up by Hitler during World War II to hold the Jews. They have further noted that every locally and internationally accepted human rights have been violated in these camps.

Samaraweera made this statement at a press conference held at the SLFP (M) Wing headquarters yesterday (18).

The party’s media unit e-mailed to us a brief note on the statement made at the press conference and below is the English translation of the Sinhala note.

“Samaraweera further noted that while the basic rights of the innocent people being held in these camps like freedom of movement, meet and speak have been violated, the right of the international organizations and parliamentarians to visit these camps to determine the real status they are in has also been violated.

“As the former Foreign Minister I signed the report prepared by the Concerned Citizens Forum of South Asia, which is a citizens group in South Asia, on their experience at the camps in the north during a recent visit. The report prepared under the title, “Roadmap for Sri Lankan government to resettle, rehabilitate and provide relief to the war displaced,” was presented to Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna by a group of individual in the committee on the 13th.

“The report has made a special reference saying that following the official government statement that it had successfully defeated the LTTE militarily on May 19, 2009, close to three lakhs of displaced persons have been held back forcibly. We request the Indian government to intervene and through the Sri Lankan government solve the humanitarian issues faced by these people.

“Those staying in these camps are public servants, middle class people, farmers and members of their families. They have no financial problems. They are different from the people in the south and east who were displaced by the tsunami. They say they are not paupers; people from Colombo need not come to feed us. Their only request is to be allowed to return to their hometowns and to their normal lives.”
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