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India
last week announced it was sending a medical team to the
country to assist the humanitarian process in the north.
The
action by the Indian government to send a team seems to
be a timely action, when the war seems to be reaching
its final stages. The humanitarian workers are also
faced with an uphill task of protecting the civilians in
the LTTE controlled areas and themselves.
One
ICRC worker was killed due to an artillery attack last
Thursday north of Valayanmadam, on the coastal belt. The
victim, K. Vijayarasa has been with the ICRC since 1997.
This
is not the first time that a humanitarian worker has
been killed in this country. Aid workers working in the
country have been killed, harassed and threatened in the
past. In fact, the European Union (EU) last December
said that Sri Lanka was one of the most dangerous
countries for aid workers. The focus during the past few
months has been mainly on the civilians trapped in the
Wanni pocket.
The
services of aid workers is very important considering
the massive number of internally displaced persons due
to the raging war and the tsunami more than four years
ago.
In
September last year, the aid agencies working in the
LTTE controlled areas were asked to leave the area. The
order for the agencies to move was made by the
government on security grounds.
The
agencies subsequently relocated themselves in Vavuniya
and continued to send essential items to the people.
The
ICRC was the sole humanitarian agency that continued to
operate from within the LTTE controlled areas by
facilitating the transportation of essential items and
the exchange of bodies of the fallen combatants.
The
people in the LTTE area were vulnerable to more physical
harm as fighting intensified. Several civilians fled the
LTTE area and reached government areas. They are now
being kept in temporary camps and transitional villages
in Vavuniya.
Last
month saw a welcome development in the form of sea
evacuations and the transportation of food and medicine
to Mullaithivu. Both operations are being facilitated by
the ICRC.
The
number of people trapped in the LTTE area has not been
clear. The Tamil groups say that there are around
300,000; humanitarian agencies say that there are 150 to
200,000 and the government says that there are 70,000.
The fact is that there are thousands of people in
danger.
The
ICRC as a body responded to some questions posed by The
Sunday Leader on the worsening IDP situation. Following
is the Q&A.
Q:
What is the ICRC's main focus in the Wanni?
A:
Currently the ICRC is evacuating the sick and wounded
from Putumattalan in the LTTE held area to Trincomalee
in the government controlled area where they receive
their treatment. These evacuations, carried out with
the assistance of the civil and military authorities
and members of the local community, such as the
fishermen, commenced on the 10th of February and the
ICRC has carried out eight evacuations so far.
The
ninth evacuation is taking place this very moment with
406 passengers (patients and their accompanying
relatives) on board. So far over 2700 sick and wounded
persons and their relatives have been evacuated on board
the Green Ocean, a ferry the ICRC has chartered for
these operations. The safety and well being of people in
the area is of grave concern and it is important for
humanitarian aid - food, shelter and medicines to reach
the area. The lack of clean water, especially in
Putumattalan is a major humanitarian concern.
Q:
The ICRC recently commenced operations to evacuate
patients by sea. How long can the ICRC continue with
this process? Does the situation permit the organisation
to carry out such operations periodically?
A:
Because the sick and wounded continue to go to
Putumattalan, where there is a makeshift medical
facility in a community centre and school and some
patients sheltering under tarpaulins, there is a need
for these evacuations to take place. There is also a
shortage of some medical supplies.
A lack
of antibiotics as well as inadequate sanitation has
given rise to wound infections in the patients coming
here which in turn requires that they be transferred to
Trincomalee for treatment. These evacuations which have
taken place under difficult conditions have been
possible only because of the ICRC's neutral and
independent status and the active support of both
parties to the conflict
Q:
What are the needs of those civilians who are in LTTE
controlled areas? Are the goods that are sent to
Mullaithivu adequate for the people?
A:
Thousands of displaced civilians are currently seeking
safety, food and water and medical care. As a matter of
absolute urgency, much needed relief such as food and
medical supplies in particular, has to be taken to the
area. There is a lack of clean water and the demands
being made on water sources available such as wells, are
high.
Q:
Thousands of civilians have crossed over to government
controlled areas and are continuing to do so. Is the
ICRC working with them? What are the needs of the
civilians who are now in camps?
A: It
is important to ensure that displaced people are in a
safe environment, that they have access to food, medical
care, clean water and sanitation facilities, and that
families are reunited. The ICRC has distributed personal
hygiene items, baby care items and provided some
sanitary facilities on the sites.
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