40 civilians disappear from camps daily - Samaraweera

by admin
Sep 29, 2009

“In George Orwells 1984, the Ministry of Peace dealt with war, and the Ministry of Love with torture. Likewise we witnessed in Sri Lanka how the Peace Secretariat justified excesses carried out in the name of war against terrorism. And the so-called welfare camps are virtual prisons,” Daily Mirror said quoting Mangala Samaraweera's charge against the Sri Lanka in the parliament, adding that about 30 to 40 persons are abducted on a daily basis from IDP camps in the North.

 

“Certain reports indicate that 30 to 40 persons are abducted or disappear on a daily basis from IDP camps,” Samaraweera charged.

 

In response to denial of the Chief Whip Dinesh Gunawardena of the allegations, Samaraweera said, the government must be transparent regarding the IDPs, and “[i]f the government allows Opposition MPs to form a committee and visit the camps then such claims can be verified. The government should act in a transparent manner."

 

Stating that most of the more than 280,000 IDPs had relatives in Sri Lanka who are prepared to look after them, Samaraweera added, “[t]hey are not economic refugees. They have opened 21,000 bank accounts and deposited Rs. 500 million in banks after coming out of LTTE areas. They are government servants, teachers and farmers. All they want is to go home,” the paper said quoting Samaraweera.

 

The MP also charged that the IDPs were being resettled from one camp into another. “The government is denying these people the right to speech, choice, movement and livelihood,” according to the paper.

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