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Statement by National Peace Council of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is today facing a serious humanitarian crisis especially in the conflict zones in the northern Vanni region. This follows the escalation of military action by the government and LTTE and the government’s decision to order the immediate relocation of humanitarian workers in the area on the grounds that their safety can no longer be guaranteed. The government’s decision to discuss this matter, demonstrate flexibility, and permit the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to remain in Kilinochchi is a positive step . The National Peace Council urges the government to demonstrate the same flexibility with humanitarian aid agencies.

During previous phases of the armed conflict successive governments have obtained the assistance of both local and international humanitarian organisations to ensure that essential supplies reach the affected people. Humanitarian aid agencies in LTTE controlled territory have provided critical support to the government by dispensing aid to both displaced and local civilians living in those areas. The National Peace Council is concerned that withdrawal of the humanitarian organisations will create a vacuum that the government alone cannot fill. The humanitarian outlook will become extremely bleak for those displaced and local civilians left behind.

The primary duty of any democratic government is to ensure the security and sustenance of the people it governs. No section of the people, whether or not they are under rebel control, can be excluded from this democratic duty. If circumstances do not allow the government to fulfill this duty, it needs to permit others to do so. The government needs to treat international humanitarian agencies as its partners filling a void that it is unable to fulfil. Their work needs to be facilitated and not curtailed.

The National Peace Council calls on the government to ensure that specialist international agencies with a humanitarian mandate, such as the UNHCR and World Food Programme that are specially trained to work in conflict zones, are permitted to remain in the Vanni region where displaced and other war affected people are living. If these organisations are prepared to take the risk of continuing to work in war zones as part of their mandates, they need to be supported and encouraged in this action. This includes cooperative approaches to travel and visa applications and positive public messages of support for the efforts of the UN and other humanitarian agencies.

The National Peace Council also calls on the LTTE to create a supportive environment to assist humanitarian agencies to provide for the basic needs of displaced people, by not removing their assets and equipment and diverting humanitarian supplies. The LTTE also needs to ensure the safe and secure access of humanitarian workers so that they may fulfill their humanitarian mandate.

The government and LTTE must also exercise restraint and take all necessary precautions to ensure that civilians are not harmed as a result of their fighting. This is the crux of International Humanitarian Law. We call on both parties to cooperate with aid agencies to establish a humanitarian corridor so that civilians can move to safety and access humanitarian assistance. Safe movement should be guaranteed by the presence of independent and neutral observers such as the ICRC.

Governing Council-NPC

The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organisation that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.

Population in precarious situation as MSF workers withdraw from Sri Lanka

Following a directive from the government of Sri Lanka earlier this week, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) withdrew its staff on September 10 from Kilinochchi town in the LTTE-controlled Vanni. MSF is very concerned about the possible consequences of ongoing hostilities for the population still living in the area, and the impact of displacement on the health of the population.

MSF urges both parties to the conflict to ensure that all possible measures are taken to protect civilians from the impact of the conflict, and to allow assistance to resume as soon as possible.

In recent months the Sri Lankan army has undertaken a major offensive against the LTTE in the north, leading tens of thousands of people to flee to the north east of the Vanni, the area controlled by the LTTE. Although the government of Sri Lanka has dropped leaflets recommending that the population move from this area, and though they have announced the creation of a humanitarian corridor to facilitate this, there is little evidence that civilians have been able to move to safety.

Apart from potential exposure to shelling and bombardment, those who have been forced to leave their homes lack adequate shelter, sanitation facilities and access to clean drinking water. The potentially serious health impact will only be worsened by the arrival of the rainy season begins in roughly a month’s time. Existing hospitals and clinics have also been affected by the fighting, and though the system is compensating for the moment, if the situation is prolonged there will be serious shortages of medicines and supplies, as well as qualified medical staff.

MSF is prepared to return to Kilinochchi as soon as possible. In the interim, the withdrawal should not affect programmes in other parts of Sri Lanka’s conflict-affected north, including Vavuniya, Point Pedro in the Jaffna peninsula, and Mannar

‘Welfare of the civilian population must not be compromised by military exigencies. They must be safeguarded from collateral damage and not be used as human shields in any circumstance. We call on the government not to use its air and artillery power to attack areas in which civilians are residing’, said National Peace Council [NPC] of Sri Lanka, in a media release issued today.

Full Text of the National Peace Council Media Release:

Civilian Welfare Must Not be Compromised by Military Exigencies

The ongoing fighting in the north is leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of people from their villages and homes. Much of the territory currently controlled by the LTTE has become a battleground with civilians fleeing from place to place. Reports from humanitarian agencies working in the north indicate that they cannot cope with the demand for emergency shelter, water and sanitation to meet the needs of the rapidly growing displaced population. Unfortunately, it appears that the humanitarian organizations are lacking in capacity to deal with this crisis, in part due to the restrictions that the government has placed upon them.

The government’s stated concern has been that the LTTE will take a part or most of the supplies brought in by the humanitarian organizations for its own use, and to further strengthen its war machine. The government has been producing evidence to show that equipment and relief items sent in by humanitarian organizations have ended up in LTTE camps. However, the National Peace Council believes that the welfare of Sri Lankan citizens ought not to be subordinated to military necessities.

As a response to this humanitarian crisis, the Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, has issued a comprehensive statement requesting the government to spell out its plan for the safety and security of its citizens in the north. He has called for the government to take urgent action to permit U.N. Agencies and NGOs to easily reach these affected people and help them obtain their basic needs. He has also proposed the establishment of No Conflict Zones in each of the three northern districts affected by the present fighting.

The National Peace Council supports these proposals of Bishop Joseph and calls on the government to make its response without delay. We hold that the welfare of the civilian population must not be compromised by military exigencies. They must be safeguarded from collateral damage and not be used as human shields in any circumstance. We call on the government not to use its air and artillery power to attack areas in which civilians are residing.

We also call for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor, with the cooperation of UN agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, whereby people who wish to leave the areas of combat are permitted by both the government and LTTE to do so in accordance with the basic human right of freedom of movement. The people who leave the areas of combat should also be treated with respect and dignity, and permitted freedom of movement, without being confined to welfare camps as occurring at present at Kalimottai and at Sirukandal, as pointed out by Bishop Joseph in his statement. We urge that the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement be followed by the parties to the conflict.

Governing Council
NPC

[The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organisation that works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in which the freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities are respected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by its Governing Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life and belong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.]

Free Media Movement (FMM), The Sri Lanka Media Rights Group says the Army Chief of the country, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka has once again made requests that their member organizations view as “indirect intimidation aimed at media censorship”.

Last week FMM expressed dismay over Sri Lanka Army chief remarks discrediting journalist and media in general, during a newspaper interview.

The latest press statement by the FMM and its member organizations condemns requests made by the Army Chief to a staff journalist of the Lankadeepa Newsaper.

Full text of the Statement by Free Media Movement as follows:

It has been reported to the our organisations that Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka had told staff journalist Indika Ramanayake of Lankadeepa news paper that he would not cooperate with the newspaper if did not stop the two regular and defence related columns. The regular columns in question are a defence analysis by Duminda Sanjeewa in Sunday Lankadeepa and a Sinhala translation of the security situation column by Iqbal Athas, associate editor of the Sunday Times.

Lt. Gen. Fonseka had made the statement when staff journalist Ramanayake had called him on 5th of August to seek his permission to obtain certain information from another officer.

We, five media organisations strongly condemn the reported warning by the Army Commander.

Our organisations consider this incident as an indirect intimidation aimed at media censorship. When a military officer of highest order such as army commander makes such a request it automatically becomes an indirect order and creates fear among the journalists mentioned. Further this request, or rather order, is a breach of the people’s right to information. This is the context we express our disappointment over this incident.

Our five media organisations urge Army commander to change his hostile approach towards the media and to accept the democratic right of the people to hold and express different opinions and interpretations on any public interest issue including the war. If media has to change the manner of reporting at the whims and fancies of military or any other officer then it will not be free media but gagged media. In democratic society journalists first obligation is to truth and to nothing else.

Sgd:

Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA)
Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU)
Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF)
Sri Lanka Tamil Journalists Alliance (SLTJA)

A new milk collection facility will be open on 23 rd July, 2008 in Trincomalee in order to support rural dairy farmers in the district. The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) funded World Concern Sri Lanka to build the centre at Uppuveli, Trincomalee enabling dairy farmers along the Kuchchaveli coast to supply direct to the domestic market. MILCO, who own Highland milk products, will run the centre transporting milk daily to their upcountry processing plant. The centre can hold 3,000 litres in chilled milk at present and has the capacity to expand to 5,000 litres in future.

Representatives from the Department of Animal Production & Health, MILCO, the District/Divisional Secretariat and CIDA are expected to attend the opening which marks a turning point for Trincomalee’s dairy farming community. It has been over three years since farmers had a regular buyer for their milk. With powdered milk prices now at record highs, demand for fresh milk is increasing and both Nestle and MICLO are actively soliciting farmers in the district. Farmers can now make between Rs. 32 and Rs. 35 per litre, providing much needed income as they rebuild their lives after many years of economic hardship.

The Trincomalee facility is one of two MILCO run regional facilities built by World Concern Sri Lanka, an International NGO ‐ the other having recently opened at Vellavely in Batticaloa. CIDA and World Concern also built three smaller Community Chilling Centres with 500 and 1000 litre tanks through which farmers societies can keep their milk cold before transporting it to the regional centres.

Over the 15 month project World Concern Sri Lanka has supporting 580 farmers with technical training, the purchase of cows, micro credit facilities, insurance services and the provision of milk cans and cattle sheds ‐ all designed to improve the farmers productivity and to raise rural incomes. Ian McInnes – Country Director for World Concern Sri Lanka – says that “incomes for these farmers have more than doubled as a result of this project”. World Concern Sri Lanka is also working in Batticaloa and Ampara with a total of 1,500 famers across the Eastern Province. Mr. McInnes believes there is plenty of scope to assist thousands more farmers across the Province as they resettle through the Governments IDP resettlement project. He says “Many farmers are returning to find their cattle gone, their old collection facilities in disrepair and that they have no access to a regular milk run. Once the cattle are reclaimed or new cows are purchased, the problem of replacing the milk run is easily solved as long as the chilled collection facilities can be rebuilt”.

This project was possible thanks to a contribution from the Canadian International Development Agency.

Author: Ian McInnes, Country Director, World Concern Sri Lanka

By N.Karunagaran
[Children Programme Coordinator, PREDO]

PREDO has introduced mobile libraries to distribute books among children’s clubs in plantations

[Dambatenne tea plantation, highlands, sri lanka-pic:cjb22]

No one would dispute the fact that the plantation people are the most underdeveloped people, be it in education, economy or in politics. The disenfranchisement of this group of people in the 1948s which resulted in their political isolation deprived them of the enjoyment of their fundamental rights. For these and other historical reasons , ‘education’ has never been the part of the culture of these people. The same applies to their reading habits. The best indicator of the low standard of education of these people is that the children who gain university entrance from this sector lie far below 1%. On the other hand, no facilities are available or was provided even in this developed era for children in the plantations to help them to improve their reading habits which is adversely affecting their education . After the people in the plantations started showing interest in education, some plantation political parties and trade unions constructed library building in the plantations, but did not provide sufficient books or train people to maintain them. Consequently, the buildings are either idling or being used for other purposes. In addition these people who were without electricity until recent times were provided with electrical power without being properly educating in its proper use. This has led to other complications. People and children spend most of their time viewing or listening to TV and other electronic media which has taken the reading habit completely away from them.

Although it is said, “Reading makes a full man,” the plantation people and their children were never given this chance of becoming ‘complete men.’ In this backdrop, the Plantation Rural Education and Development Organization (PREDO) introduced mobile libraries to distribute books among the children’s clubs established in the plantations. Presently PREDO runs about 125 children’s clubs mobile libraries. PREDO provides books to these mobile libraries within it’s means and it is evident that the children now show interest in reading. The children make covers for the books to preserve them. They also have made bags to carry them from one place to another making them available to children in other plantations. Children have now developed the habit of asking their parents to buy books for their birthdays out of the money that would be spent otherwise and donate the books bought to the mobile libraries. Some children’s clubs also have negotiated with the estate management directly and were successful in getting buildings to establish libraries. Recently such a building obtained from the management of Kotiyagala Estate and at St. Wiggins Estate in the Bogawantalawa area were opened after they were renovated by the children club members with the assistance of their parents. Since the children had insufficient books for the library, the parents were requested to donate used books and they were able to collect about 85 books.

When children finish reading the books they ask for new ones. These plantation children who do not have the means or the facility to attend supplementary or tuition classes in the urban areas, are pleading with PREDO to give them supplementary study books to help to improve their educational standards. It is beyond the reach of PREDO to supply books to 125 clubs.

The change of attitude among the plantation parents who were thought to be totally lethargic about the education of the children coming forward to donate books towards the children’s libraries has inspired PREDO to launch a campaign to collect books for the children’s libraries mainly depending on the goodwill of the people.

In view of the ‘Literacy Day’ on 8th September, and the ‘Month of Reading’ in October, PREDO had declared five months from June to October as the “Library book collection campaign period.” Every children’s club is targeting to collect 50 used or new books from parents and well wishers during the campaign period. In order to encourage the children, PREDO on it’s part has agreed to supplement their collection with ten new books for every 50 books so collected.

There is a saying, “Be ashamed to ask for favours from others but not books.” For one who knows the plight of the plantation children, helping them to further their education and reading habits would be seen not as a mere favour but a meritorious act.

PREDO seeks the support of well wishers who have the desire to support and encourage these plantation children’s clubs to donate used or new book by contacting PREDO at No: 30, Pushapdana Mawatha Kandy (Telephone 081-236746 email ) predo@sltnet.lk