Killings, disappearances and abductions of persons persist in the highly militarized environment of Trincomalee and Mutur, while thousands languish in welfare camps seeking adequate food, shelter and protection, the Law and Society Trust (LST) said in a report.
“Despite claims of liberation and reawakening of the East, civilians in Trincomalee live in a highly militarized environment. Despite the heavy presence of security forces, disappearances and killings continue regularly,” the LST said in the report based on a field visit.
Citing the Human Rights Commission (HRC) Trincomalee office, the report noted that abductions and disappearances were reported almost daily with 24 cases in August and 39 in September.
“Many incidents go unreported as no formal complaint is made to the HRC or Police due to fear of reprisals” the report notes while adding that Trincomalee remains heavily militarized and tense with the town deserted after 7 pm.
The LST said the TMVP or Karuna group, continued to abuse people, although the organization’s strength was dwindling with the number of TMVP offices in Trincomalee down from 10 to two.
It said though the HRC intervened on some violations, it failed to make any notable impact, while HRC investigations into the killing of five students in January 2006, 17 ACF aid workers in August 2006 and Ven. Nandarathna Thera in Trincomalee, had reached a standstill.
Commenting on Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) the LST said thousands of IDPs languished in camps, with friends or relatives.
“There are several camps around Trincomalee town, while there are three transit camps on the outskirts of Mutur, in Killiveddy, Paddiththidal and Manalchchenai. The people are also unaware of government plans to reduce the size of the proposed Sampur high security zone (HSZ), created by gazette on May 30 as no official announcement has been made,” the LST said
According to HRC statistics 15,425 IDPs will be affected by the HSZ, while most of the 11,672 displaced persons still in Batticaloa will also lose their lands. NGOs working with IDPs put the figure higher, the report adds.
