Action Alert Archive

Take Action Now! (USA)

Support Resolution to Ensure Safety of Tamil Civilians

September 11, 2009

Although Sri Lanka’s long and bloody civil war ended three months ago, nearly 300,000 Tamil civilians remain trapped in government-run internment camps. Human rights organizations have condemned the unsanitary and unsafe conditions in which the Tamils are wrongfully detained and have also decried the lack of access to humanitarian aid, journalists, and human rights monitors in the camps. The very recent report of Sri Lanka expelling a senior UNICEF official, James Elder, illustrates the pressing need for the international community to intervene at this pivotal time in Sri Lanka. Unless independent agencies are granted access to the camps, the government of Sri Lanka will continue to exploit and imprison the minority Tamils.

Human Rights Watch is one of the groups condemning the disastrous impact of the heavy rains and flooding in the internment camps and the appalling conditions in which the internally displaced persons (IDPs) are forced to live. Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW, reported that “the government [of Sri Lanka] has detained people in these camps and is threatening their health and even their lives by keeping them there during the rainy season floods.”

At the UN Human Rights Council 11th Special Session on Sri Lanka on May 27, the Sri Lankan government committed to improve camp conditions and resettle the majority of the displaced Tamils in six months; however, it has been three months since this statement and AFP has reported that only 1,100 refugees have been allowed to leave the camps. On account of the Sri Lankan government's blatant disregard for these Tamil IDPs' human rights, it is necessary that the U.S. and the rest of the international community take immediate action. In light of this, Representatives Davis and Jackson-Lee submitted H. Res. 711, which was recently referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Res. 711 “[calls] on the United States Government and the international community to address the human rights and humanitarian needs of Sri Lanka's Tamil internally displaced persons (IDPs) currently living in government-run camps by supporting the release of such IDPs, implementing and facilitating an independent oversight of the process of release and resettlement, and allowing foreign aid groups to provide relief and resources to such IDPs.”

I urge you to sponsor H. Res. 711 and vote in support of this resolution if it reaches the House floor. We cannot afford to rely on the Sri Lankan government's empty promise of resettling all IDPs by November. It is imperative that you support this resolution and drive the United States government and the rest of the international community to act now and ensure the dignity and safe return of these innocent Tamil civilians.