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'1,400 Tamils dying every week in Lankan refugee camps'

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ANI

Posted: Jul 10, 2009 at 1139 hrs IST
Sri lanka refugees

Mumbai About 1,400 Tamil refugees are dying every week at the giant Manik Farm internment camp in Sri Lanka, senior international aid sources have told ‘The Times’.

The death toll will add to concerns that the Sri Lankan Government has failed to halt a humanitarian catastrophe after announcing victory over the Tamil Tiger terrorist organisation in May.

Mangala Samaraweera, the former Foreign Minister and now an opposition MP, was quoted by the paper, as saying: “There are allegations that the Government is attempting to change the ethnic balance of the area. Influential people close to the Government have argued for such a solution.”

News of the death rate came as the International Committee of the Red Cross revealed that it had been asked to scale down its operations by the Sri Lankan authorities, which insist that they have the situation under control.

Mahinda Samarasinghe, the Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights, was quoted, as saying: “The challenges now are different. Manning entry and exit points and handling dead bodies, transport of patients, in the post-conflict era are no longer needed.”

Last night, the Red Cross was closing two offices. One of these is in Trincomalee, which had helped to provide medical care to about 30,000 injured civilians evacuated by sea from the conflict zone in the north east.

The other is in Batticaloa, where the Red Cross had been providing “protection services”.

The Manik Farm camp was set up to house the largest number of the 300,000 mainly Tamil civilians forced to flee the northeast as army forces mounted a brutal offensive against the Tigers, who had been fighting for an ethnic Tamil homeland for 26 years.

Aid workers and the British Government have warned that conditions at the site are inadequate.

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Dear Mr Rajapakshe.. by sadaadmi on 18 Jul 2009

it is hard to digest that 1400 persons die every wk.Mr President can engage People like Dr Kalam,Sri Sri ,Sai baba to help the Tamils as well singalease.This will boost the image of SL.I hope these personalities are above ethnic issues and can be trusted by Sri Lanka.

saden by India by Basu on 13 Jul 2009

For years and years SL Tamil felt India would always give it's support to have respectfull solution in SL Tamil issues. Aren't we stabbed in the back - dont want to say no more.

India's position difficult by indian on 12 Jul 2009

Plz say what India should do in this matter? If it interferes it looses with Sri Lanka forever and China gains as this being it's internal matter. If it doesn't it faces the wrath of it's own people. What should be India's stand on this? Does anyone have any idea how difficult it is for india to handle this?

Ethnic cleansing by Srini on 10 Jul 2009

The genocide is over and the ethnic cleansing has started in Sri Lanka. Karunanidhi and Sonia Gandhi are power crazy people who put family before nation. There is absolutely no justification for the way the Indian government has treated the Tamils over the killing of Rajiv Gandhi. It is high time the people of India have their say by kicking these charlatans out of office and preferably out of the country. Sri Lanka is now courting Pakistan and China and this weak Indian government is letting this blossom.

SO WHAT??? by LALITH BHANSAL on 10 Jul 2009

The so called saviour of world Tamils will say so what??My elder son is a cabinet Minister in the centre the next son is the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and now my only ambition and aim is to make my Daughter (the Honarable M.P of Rajya Sabha) a cabinet Minister in the centre for which i have started to move my cards so till that happens i am not bothered about any thing happening around me >>>>>>

tamils dying by mouli on 10 Jul 2009

It was hitlers death camps that finally jolted the jews out of their indifference and created the state of israel. Tamils round the world should realise that there are three types of people tamils, enemies and neutrals. What we are seeing is a genocide with enemies gloating and neutrals looking the other way. Why is the DMK the champion of tamil cause or so they keep claiming silent.Is minestrial post that important? They should pull out of the govt without second thoughts if they have the guts.

India must be merciful and help by Baba Ramdev on 10 Jul 2009

We Indians have blood on our hands. Being indifferent to Tamil deaths and this Sinhala sponsored genocide is a sin that destiny will punish us for. Where is the moral and cultural (Hindu philosophy of good against evil) India, or is it only Italian Mafiosi style morality, that we India ?

1400 Tamils dying every day in SriLankan camps by Premangsu Chowdry on 10 Jul 2009

Even if a small fracton of this reported number of 1400 deaths per day is correct, the sitauation for these Tamils of Indian origin must be horrendous. Coming in the wake of very large number of Tamil Tigershaving been killed and wounded, this alleged report will shake up our Tamils; May the apathy of the country towards the Hindus being persecuted and killed in hundreds in erstwhile East Pakistan soon after the Partition, not be repeated.Though this is technically an internal matter of Sri Lanka,there seems to be no visible signs of dealing with the situation as elicited very widely in some parts of the world for the Darfur problem in Sudan.

You Know where the Sinhalese are from??? by Muralidharan on 10 Jul 2009

Do you know from where the Sinhalese are they are from Orrisa in India Buddism is a way of living it is not a religion????Buddism preaches non voilence and care towards humans and all living things they dont at any time say to kill people and that too your own people?? What is happening in Sri Lanka is killing of people in the guise of war and now in the name of eradicating terrorism . Innocents are being tortured and killed and the international community including India are silent spectators>>>>

srilankan tamils by ram on 10 Jul 2009

Srilanka belongs to tamils and they are the original inhabitants. The British created all the mess after completing the explotation.God should wibe out the British for all this sin.

UNO should notice this by Vijay on 10 Jul 2009

Last thirty years, Tamil community people are fighting for their rights;UNO should interfere in this and show their muscle power to solve this problem.

In another two years by Muralidharan on 10 Jul 2009

You see in another two years time there will not be a single Tamil left alive in Sri Lankan soil that type of genocide is happening there now . The government is active in making it happen.

Not only in I.D.P camps by LALITH BHANSAL on 10 Jul 2009

This fact is true hundreds of people are dying in the I.D.P camps the government is denying all that people are being tortured in camps and most of them go missing for ever. No one questions that .

Tamils in Sri lanka by Raj thackrey on 10 Jul 2009

The tamils in sri lanka supported the terrorist activities since last thirty years, what are they doing in sri lanka in the first place they should go back to tamil nadu where they come from. And the media should not give attention to such minor incidence.

Sinhalese by Ram on 10 Jul 2009

The Sinhalese came from Xinjiang and they should also pack off to Xinjiang.

'1,400 Tamils dying every week in Lankan refugee camps' by Subramaniam on 10 Jul 2009

The responsibility lies with British Government to ensure that the all ethinic groups of SriLanka are to live in peace and harmony. When the British gave indpendence to SriLanka, they should have ensured that the freedom and rights of minority ethnic groups be safe guarded. India and USA have also a large role to play in bringing down the erasing of ethnic minority. An International Peace keeping force and international aid agencies alone can save the minority tamils in Sri Lanka. Continued suppression or displacement and deaths, would encourage militancy, for which one should not give room and the present situation should be viewed and acted upon humanely.

Blot on humanity by Ponkoh Sivakumaran on 10 Jul 2009

There is genocide being committed. India remains silent. At the Human Rights Council it took the atrocious view that this was an internal problem of Sri Lanka. It is a problem that will have repercussions in Tamilnadu. It cannot be internal. It is in India's interest to fix it, quite apart from the moral issues involved as there is an obvious possibility of dissident opinion forming in Tamilnadu, the longer this situation lasts. Many Sri Lankan Tamils believe that India is silent because of its complicity with the Sri Lankan government in this genocide and that the policy of extermination of the Tamils is a policy of revenge carried out to please just one family. It is best for India to correct this view by actively intervening to stop this carnage taking place even after the war. It must ensure that the IDPs return home. It is an ongoing violation of every norm of human rights. It defeats every moral basis on which India was founded. End this blot on humanity.

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