Free movement of displaced people critical - UN

Tens of thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting in Sri Lanka's north must be allowed to move freely, Neil Buhne, the UN Resident Representative in the country, told IRIN.

"Any displaced person is entitled to freedom of movement according to international principles," Buhne said. "They can move where and when they want, in search of safety and assistance."

Fighting between government forces and the Tamil Tigers in the north-western regions of the country has displaced 74,119 individuals (18,970 families) since June, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) said in a report released on 25 August.

The displaced have moved into Kilinochchi District, 300km north of the capital and under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The IASC report stated that there were at least 134,868 individuals (35,353 families) displaced in the district, and more than 160,000 IDPs in the central-north area, the Vanni, controlled by the Tamil Tigers.

Single gateway

Photo: Amantha Perera/IRIN

The A9 highway, which runs across the Vanni, has been the only road open for civilians and supplies between government-held areas and Tiger-controlled areas since September 2007

The UN has been providing supplies to the displaced in the Vanni, accessible only through the Omanthai entry/exit point, 50km south of Kilinochchi. Buhne said supplies were reaching the displaced despite the access difficulties, but he warned that the situation was very precarious.

"We continue to have access to the bulk of the IDPs, but the situation is very fluid," Buhne said. "It is difficult for us to supply them when they are on the move."

Government officials in Kilinochchi also warned that distribution of supplies into the Vanni could be easily blocked. "There is only one road [with access to government-controlled areas], the A9 and one access point," the government agent in Kilinochchi, Nagalingam Vedanayagam, told IRIN. "If that route closes [due to fighting], the Vanni is cut off."

Government appeal

The Sri Lankan government last week appealed to civilians and IDPs remaining in the Vanni to move south and reach government-controlled areas through the Omanthai gate.

"We want the civilians to come to Vavuniya [south of Vanni]; we have established all facilities in Vavuniya," Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told reporters at the Foreign Ministry in Colombo on 28 August.

Photo: Amantha Perera/IRIN

Civilians cross through the Omanthai entry/exit point, the only open gateway between government areas and those under the control of the Tigers

The government also air-dropped leaflets over Kilinochchi on 30 August urging civilians to move south.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights said the government was increasing facilities available in Vavuniya to assist the IDPs. "The Government of Sri Lanka has decided to further develop Vavuniya as a storage and logistic hub for humanitarian assistance including food and non-food items," the Ministry said in a statement on 1 September. "The ongoing efforts of the Government in this connection are complemented by international partners who have also commenced stockpiling food and humanitarian supplies."

Nonetheless, no significant movement of people southwards from Kilinochchi has occurred, according to military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara. "So far we have not seen a big increase," he said, "maybe it will happen in the coming days."

Buhne said UN agencies were prepared to provide support to the IDPs regardless of their location.

"We are there to assist these people," he told IRIN. "Our policy is to help them according to their needs, and where they remain or where they are heading to."

ap/bj/mw