[ HRW ]

The Sri Lankan government should immediately lift its September order barring humanitarian agencies from the Vanni conflict area in northern Sri Lanka so they can assist thousands of persons displaced by flooding from Cyclone Nisha. Experienced and impartial humanitarian agencies have offered to respond to the crisis, but face government obstruction. Only government-approved food convoys have been allowed to enter the Vanni since the government in September 2008 ordered the United Nations and nearly all humanitarian agencies to withdraw from the Vanni, severely limiting humanitarian access to the affected population. Cyclone Nisha hit northern Sri Lanka on November 25, 2008, causing heavy rains and flooding that reportedly forced between 60,000 and 70,000 people to relocate.

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[ UN News Centre ]

Three United Nations agencies are offering relief to tens of thousands of Sri Lankans who have been displaced from their homes after floods struck at least five districts in the north of the island nation this week. Aid agencies held a coordination meeting in the town of Jaffna today to plan their response to the floods, which follow several days of heavy rains, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is coordinating the distribution of non-food relief items and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) is providing dry rations at the request of local authorities. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is assisting with water and sanitation services.

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[ UPI Asia ]

In recent months, the Bar Association of Sri Lanka has passed several resolutions regarding lawyers who have come under attack. One such resolution concerned an attorney who had been subjected to intimidation and threats in a case involving the assassination of a client who was pursuing cases against the Sri Lankan police on allegations of bribery and torture. Sri Lankan lawyers also face death threats if they appear for alleged terrorist suspects.

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[ IASC ]

Due to heavy rains over the past few days parts of the Northern districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Trincomalee, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu have been affected by floods. A coordination meeting will take place on Friday 28 November with the GA Jaffna to assess the current situation and decide on next steps. 5,136 families (23,104 individuals) are affected in the Mannar district. The Government Agent and agencies in the district continue to provide support to affected families in Trincomalee. The AGA divisions of Puththukudiyirippu (PTK), Marimepattu and Oddusudan are affected with the highest number of displaced in Mullaitivu.

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[ HRW ]

The TMVP was originally the political wing of the armed faction earlier known as the Karuna group. It enjoys the strong backing of the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse. “The Sri Lankan government says that the ‘liberated’ East is an example of democracy in action and a model for areas recaptured from the LTTE,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “But killings and abductions are rife, and there is total impunity for horrific abuses.” “Many in the East believe that the government has given its blessing for these abuses,” said Adams. “It is important for the government to take action against perpetrators to demonstrate that this is not the case.”

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[ BBC ]

The Sri Lankan government says an Amnesty International report on displaced people in the north of the island contains “outright falsehood”. It says Amnesty is trying to show the government in an unfavourable light. Amnesty’s report urged the government and Tamil Tiger rebels to let international observers monitor the plight of the displaced. It had other criticisms of both sides in the fighting. Amnesty told the BBC that it stands by its report.

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[ BBC ]

Amnesty International has appealed to Sri Lanka’s government to allow aid to reach more than 300,000 people displaced by fighting in the north. The human rights group urged both the government and Tamil Tiger rebels to allow international monitors into the northern Wanni region. There has been intense fighting in the area over recent weeks. Amnesty says that thousands of people displaced by the conflict are currently “in desperate need of shelter, food and sanitation”. “As the north-east monsoon season approaches, only 2,100 temporary shelters for 4,000 families have been provided, leaving at least 20,000 families in need of protection from the elements,” a statement released by the group says.

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[ UPI Asia ]

“Anti-terrorism” initiatives from the world’s most powerful country were exploited to the maximum by cynical leaders in other countries, mainly to deprive their own populations of basic freedoms and democracy. In many countries the War on Terror was manipulated to portray freedom of expression, publication and organization as subversive endeavors, and to deprive people of fair trials and protections against torture, illegal arrest, illegal detention and extrajudicial killings. Through what are called “prevention of terrorism laws,” all these freedoms were sacrificed under the pretext of national security.

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[ IPI ]

Media in the North and East of the country have continued to bear the brunt of the worst forms of insecurity. Media access to war-affected areas is heavily restricted with journalists forced to reproduce information disseminated by the conflicting parties. Media are constantly threatened by all parties to the conflict in an effort to curtail independent and critical reporting. The International Mission condemns the murder of P. Devakumar in Jaffna in May 2008, as well as over a dozen other murders documented since 2005. The Mission is worried about the dangerous precedent this sets for all media nationally and internationally.

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[ Reuters ]

Senior military officers from 50 countries gathered in Geneva Monday to put international humanitarian law into simple language that can be understood in theatres of war worldwide. Top brass from the United States, Britain, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Burundi were among those participating in the workshop held in Swiss army barracks near the centre of Geneva. Kellenberger said the ICRC is engaging in confidential dialogue with military leaders around the world, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Chad, and Sri Lanka, as part of its mandate to encourage compliance with international humanitarian law. It also meets non-state armed groups when security permits.

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