By D.B.S.Jeyaraj 

An unfortunate incident that occurred  last week has  resulted in much attention being focused on the pathetic plight of  civilians held in camps for the displaced in Vavuniya and Cheddikulam.

September 26, 2009 saw an altercation  erupting between Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) “detained” at the Menik Farm IDP  camp at Cheddikulam and members of the Sri Lanka Army deployed in the area.

While the Defence Ministry Spokesperson Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara and the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS)  have provided “official” versions of what had supposedly happened,  independent probing by this writer reveals that the official story is rather inaccurate on key areas. Neither does it provide a clear picture of what had exactly  happened.

There was no “escape”  attempt by a group of IDPs  as stated by official sources and picked up by sections of the media. It is also incorrect that there was an attempt by the IDPs  to throw a hand grenade at the soldiers.

Speaking to informed sources both official and unofficial, this writer was able to glean a rough idea of what had actually happened.

Security relaxed

Security arrangements and procedures are comparatively relaxed at the  camps situated in zones one, two and three. The IDPs in these camps are  mainly those who fled the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) area in the penultimate rather than final stages of the war.

The facilities at these camps are somewhat better than in other camps and are often displayed to visiting dignitaries as “showcases.”

Contrary to reports in the media that IDPs from one camp are  forbidden entry into another camp the  inmates of these  three camps are allowed to move to and from  one  camp to another  in a “controlled” fashion.  This facility is not extended to other camps.

There is no total ban on movement among these three camps. There is in fact a “land corridor”  inter-linking all three camps in Zone 1,2 and 3.

A limited number of people can move from one camp to another at specific times through authorised entry/exit points. This allows inmates of one camp to interact with family,  relatives and friends in another camp. Some  trade and barter is also done.

On Saturday, September 26, a group of people in  Zone 1  known as Anandacoomaraswamy Welfare Village had gone to Zone 2  known as Ramanathan  Welfare Village to sell firewood.

The firewood had been gathered by women and children from outlying areas.

Since authorised access was on a limited scale these “vendors” had moved in through unauthorised entry points to enter the Zone 2 camp. These IDPs  began returning to their camp at dusk.

Returning in one group

The IDP firewood vendors who had slipped in through  unauthorised  routes in singles and pairs  and at  different times were now returning in one group.

The army sentries  alerted because of the sizable numbers  arrived at the spot at about 6. 15 p.m. An  argument broke out   between some of the IDPs and the soldiers.

While the soldiers maintained that the IDPs were using unauthorised entry/exit points the IDPs insisted that their movement was through authorised points

Also the soldiers had either mistakenly  or deliberately threatened the IDPs with arrest  accusing them of   trying to escape  clandestinely. This led to a heated argument and some IDPs proficient in Sinhala had used obscene language on the soldiers.

The soldiers then said all IDPs were under arrest and would be taken away. This led to many IDPs trying to get away from the spot.  Apparently they wanted to get back to their dwellings in Zone 1 camp.

More soldiers arrived on the scene in an excited state and surrounded the IDPs. Some IDPs tried to break out through the security cordon.

Seeing the commotion a large number of IDPs  including women and children also converged on the spot encircling the soldiers.

Since some of these IDPs had a few firewood logs in their hands the soldiers assumed wrongly that the  mob was going to attack them with wooden poles. They got further excited.

Soldiers brandishing firearms

Previously soldiers had been clearly instructed not to use firearms on IDPs and to physically tackle any miscreant if and when the necessity arose. But soldiers sharing a threat perception began brandishing their firearms.

This aroused angry reactions in the IDP crowd that was fast turning hostile. A few started pelting stones at the soldiers.

At this point one soldier fired into the air to disperse the crowd. This gave the wrong signal to others and a few shots were fired into the crowd.

Panic stricken the IDPs fled from the scene to the Anandacoomaraswamy Welfare Village but  at least six people including two children and a woman sustained injuries. Of these three were of a minor nature.

The two children aged three and six received treatment at the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital at Cheddikulam. The six year old girl Nidharshika was later transferred to the accident ward at Vavuniya Hospital.

She was later moved to the Anuradhapura Hospital and is now paralysed according to a UNHCR press release.

Nightfall saw a virtual curfew in the camps. Most people remained in their tents and very little cooking was done openly. 

Some  soldiers arrived at the  Zone 1 camp in the night  and took away  a few  people suspected of  involvement in the incident.

The swoop down

In a further development on Sunday, September 27 a contingent of soldiers swooped down on the Anandacoomaraswamy Welfare Village in the morning.

All inmates were ordered to remain within their tents while hundreds of soldiers went on a search mission from tent to tent. The operation lasted for eight hours from  8 a.m to 4  p.m.

The soldiers had told IDPs that they were searching for grenades and firearms and also for those who had escaped after attacking the army on Saturday.

The people were unable to partake of meals or drink while the eight hour operation was on. An undisclosed number of persons suspected to have been involved in the incident were taken away for questioning.

Nineteen of these persons were  reportedly handed over to the police on the charges  of attempting to escape from the camp, attacking the army with clubs and stones and trying to lob a grenade. The information available to this writer indicates that there was no attempt to escape and no attempts to assault the soldiers. There was however a heated exchange of words and some stone throwing.

The charge of  an attempt to throw a grenade appears to be a total fabrication by army officials. It is seen as a cover up attempt  to justify the firing upon unarmed civilians by the soldiers.

What really happened

This in essence is what transpired at the Menik Farm IDP camps as opposed to the official versions trotted out by authorities.

Tamil National Alliance MP from Wanni District Sivasakthi Anandan was quoted by the BBC on the incident. A few Tamil websites also quoted him.

There are now rumours about attempts by officials to coerce the arrested IDPs into signing statements supportive of the official version. They are being forced to sign “confessions” of their guilt it is alleged.

Attempts are also on  allegedly to get the IDPs to contradict statements made by the TNA parliamentarian.

Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) President Veerasingham Anandasangaree  blamed the security personnel involved for the incident. While stating that the entire army was not responsible for such unwarranted incidents, Sangaree pointed out that the September 26 incident was unforgivable. 

The incident is seen as a flashpoint of simmering tensions between the  forcibly detained large IDP population and their guards. The  Sri Lankan government has once again received negative publicity over the incident.

The  official version – that soldiers fired on those attempting to escape – has once again highlighted the fact that hundreds of thousands of people are being held under armed guard at internment camps, and  that unarmed civilians are being fired upon by armed soldiers  to quell escape attempts.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) also issued a statement in the aftermath of this incident.

The full text of  the UNHCR media release isgiven below:

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is deeply concerned about reports of security incidents taking place inside camps accommodating internally displaced persons (IDPs) in northern Sri Lanka.

The most recent incident took place on Saturday, September 26 in the Menik Farm camp in the district of Vavuniya, when security forces reportedly attempted to stop a group of IDPs from moving between two zones of the camp. This angered the IDPs, who subsequently attacked the sentries.

Security personnel then reportedly opened fire to disperse the mob. Several people are said to have been injured, including a child who was hit by a stray bullet and is now paralysed. There are also reports of several people being detained following the disturbance. UNHCR calls upon the government to ensure the protection and physical security of the IDPs and to undertake a swift investigation into the event.

This latest episode reinforces repeated calls by the UN and the international community to the Government of Sri Lanka to accelerate the return process and restore freedom of movement for those displaced who choose to remain in the camps. It also shows the need to implement the host family programme that the government has announced, and which the UN has welcomed, which allows citizens to host IDPs.

Additional efforts are urgently needed to decongest overcrowded camps, particularly as the monsoon season approaches. The rains will lead to flooding of low lying areas of the camps, causing further deterioration of living conditions and posing possible threats to IDPs’ health and safety.

Since June, at the request of the government, UN agencies together with partners have been carrying out work at the Menik Farm IDP sites to prepare them for the rainy season. However, UNHCR has advised the government that the sites are not adequately equipped to cope with the monsoons given the number of IDPs residing there.

Menik Farm consists of seven zones and is one of 21 closed camps spread across the Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mannar and Trincomalee districts. The camps accommodate more than 250,000 persons displaced by conflict. A government security screening process aimed at separating ex-combatants from civilians means that residents of the camps have no freedom of movement.

UNHCR acknowledges the government’s release of some 15,000 IDPs from the camps since early August, including many vulnerable individuals, either to host families or to their homes as part of its ongoing 180-day return plan. The agency is calling on the government to expedite the screening process and to increase the rate of releases from the camps.

UNHCR is also concerned about the approximately 3,300 IDPs who were transferred to new closed transit camps in their districts of origin mid-September rather than being returned to their homes. While a brief transit in the district of origin might be required, some IDPs have been in these transit sites for more than two weeks.

Discussions between the UN refugee agency and the government on the resettlement process are continuing and UNHCR will provide return assistance as soon as IDPs are allowed to return to their homes.