Action Alert Archive
Take Action Now! (USA) Urge the ICRC to speak out about Sri Lanka's escalating violenceNovember 20, 2008 I am writing to you today to call your attention to the mounting conflict in Sri Lanka, and to urge you to call upon the Sri Lankan government to allow international aid agencies to re-enter the war-torn north. Since the Sri Lankan government ordered international aid organizations to evacuate the Vanni region in September, the ICRC is the only international humanitarian organization engaged in relief efforts in the northern region. Meanwhile, over 200,000 Tamils have been internally displaced as they flee from the intensive military onslaught, aerial bombardment and artillery shelling. The ICRC has provided hundreds of shelters for displaced people, tens of thousands of humanitarian supplies such as food packages and baby-care products, and monitors the Omanthai checkpoint between Sri Lankan government and territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. I applaud the ICRC for their work to alleviate the rampant suffering throughout the region. However, as the crisis continues to escalate, more must be done to call the world's attention to the plight of Tamil refugees. The ICRC's report on Sri Lanka emphasizes its work to pressure both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to abide by International Humanitarian Law (IHL) standards. The ICRC also collects information "regarding missing persons, arbitrary arrests, unlawful killings and ill treatment of civilians." Without sacrificing the confidentiality of ICRC sources, the ICRC should publicize aggregated data on the prevalence of human rights violations in the region. As the only international organization currently operating in this region, the ICRC has a crucial role in fostering a deeper understanding of the dire situation in Sri Lanka. The international community now depends on the ICRC for its information and analysis of the ongoing crisis. I commend the ICRC for its work to provide aid to thousands of Tamil refugees, but the ICRC should not be alone in these efforts. I urge the ICRC to make an assertive public statement regarding the refugee crisis in northern Sri Lanka, to urge the Sri Lankan government to allow humanitarian organizations to re-enter this devastated region. Innocent Tamil children and families languish with insufficient food, water and shelter as the international community's silence enables this dire situation to continue. |
|
