International humanitarian agencies have expressed serious concerns over the presence of Army-backed paramilitary groups in the east with one leading German charity organization, GTZ, temporarily suspending its operations in Batticaloa, press reports said.
The Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC), an independent INGO monitoring body, says the general situation in Batticaloa remains tense with ongoing daily reports of security incidents within the town and throughout the district.
"The humanitarian community is deeply concerned by the increased number of paramilitaries in Batticaloa town. In Ampara there are renewed reports of abductions," IASC said.
“The increased presence of armed civilians has heightened fears in communities.”
IASC also said that GTZ has decided to temporarily stop its activities in the Batticaloa district after two of its warehouses, in Valaichchenai and Kaluwanchikudy, were looted by armed men this week.
International truce monitors of the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) also say abductions are continuing in the volatile eastern district.
Dozens of people, including many children have been abducted in military-controlled parts of the Batticaloa district, where the anti-LTTE paramilitary Karuna Group is collaborating with the Army in counter-insurgency operations.
Karuna Group spokesman Azath Maulana played down the latest concerns and allegations raised by the NGOs and the SLMM and called for "credible evidence" to substantiate any claims of his group’s involvement in the said incidents or other child recruitment allegations.
The GTZ action coincided with UN envoy Allan Rock presenting a report to the working group of the UN Security Council in which he claimed contains "credible evidence" of Army-assisted child recruitment and abductions by the Karuna Group. He also accused the LTTE of the same..
Mr. Rock has accused certain elements of the government forces of conspiring or in some cases directly assisting Karuna in abductions and recruitment.
In response the Sri Lankan government went public and refuted the claims and later demanded 'credible evidence' to back the allegations.
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Life is far from normal for those who fled the fighting in Vaharai. They are still in a state of hopelessness, not knowing what tomorrow holds. Here, children attend classes at a makeshift room at a school in Mankerni. Pic The Morning Leader
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"The humanitarian community is deeply concerned by the increased number of paramilitaries in Batticaloa town. In Ampara there are renewed reports of abductions," IASC said.
“The increased presence of armed civilians has heightened fears in communities.”
IASC also said that GTZ has decided to temporarily stop its activities in the Batticaloa district after two of its warehouses, in Valaichchenai and Kaluwanchikudy, were looted by armed men this week.
International truce monitors of the SLMM (Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission) also say abductions are continuing in the volatile eastern district.
Dozens of people, including many children have been abducted in military-controlled parts of the Batticaloa district, where the anti-LTTE paramilitary Karuna Group is collaborating with the Army in counter-insurgency operations.
Karuna Group spokesman Azath Maulana played down the latest concerns and allegations raised by the NGOs and the SLMM and called for "credible evidence" to substantiate any claims of his group’s involvement in the said incidents or other child recruitment allegations.
The GTZ action coincided with UN envoy Allan Rock presenting a report to the working group of the UN Security Council in which he claimed contains "credible evidence" of Army-assisted child recruitment and abductions by the Karuna Group. He also accused the LTTE of the same..
Mr. Rock has accused certain elements of the government forces of conspiring or in some cases directly assisting Karuna in abductions and recruitment.
In response the Sri Lankan government went public and refuted the claims and later demanded 'credible evidence' to back the allegations.
