Internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka

Graph showing numbers of IDPs
Photo release by the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation depicting displaced Tamil civilians in Vanni, where much of the last phase of the war took place. The IDPs who almost exclusively consisted of ethnic Tamils from the country's north and east, the territory formerly governed by the LTTE.

The final stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War created 300,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were transferred to camps in Vavuniya District and detained there against their will.[1][2][3] This process, together with conditions inside the camps and the slow progress of resettlement attracted much concern and criticism from inside and outside Sri Lanka.[1][4][5] On 7 May 2009 the Sri Lankan government announced plans to resettle 80% of the IDPs by the end of 2009.[4] After the end of the civil war Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa gave assurances to foreign diplomats that the bulk of the IDPs would be resettled in accordance with the 180-day plan.[6][7] On 1 December 2009, the IDPs were given limited freedom of movement.[8] The pace of resettlement increased in 2010.[9] The resettlement process was completed and camps were officially closed on 25 September 2012.[10][11] However, the final batch of IDPs consisting of 110 families were relocated in Kepapilavu in Mullaitivu District-away from their original homes.[12]

Although camps have been removed as of April 2015 as many as 13,459 families, accounting for 44,934 persons, were yet to be resettled and houses for them are still under construction[13]

  1. ^ a b "ASA 37/016/2009 Unlock the Camps in Sri Lanka: Safety and Dignity for the Displaced Now". Amnesty International. 10 August 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  2. ^ "Refugee Issues". Department of State, USA. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 15 February 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Sri Lanka: After the War". International Crisis Group. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2010.
  4. ^ a b "Sri Lanka: Government Breaks Promises That Displaced Can Go Home". Human Rights Watch. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  5. ^ "SRI LANKA: Concerns growing over pace of IDP resettlement". Integrated Regional Information Networks, UN OCHA. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 26 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Sri Lanka vows to resettle Tamils". BBC News. 21 May 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  7. ^ "India and Sri Lanka agree on IDP timetable, political solution". The Official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka. 22 May 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference tg011209 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ "Resettlement of IDPs in Jaffna completes". Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka). Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2011.
  10. ^ "SRI LANKA: Final batch of Menik Farm IDPs relocated". IRIN. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  11. ^ "Sri Lanka shuts Manik Farm IDP camp". The Hindu. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  12. ^ "UN hails closing of Sri Lankan displaced persons camp". United Nations. 25 September 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  13. ^ "Sri Lanka to build 65,000 homes for war-hit families". The Hindu. 28 September 2015. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 September 2015.