THE UN REFUGEE AGENCY SAYS THE RETURN OF TENS OF THOUSAND EASTERN PROVINCE REFUGEES DONE ACCORDING TO INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS AND VOLUNTARILY

By Walter Jayawardhana

The United Nations refugee agency, the UNHCR said that the return of tens of thousand of West Batticaloa refugees to their original homes by the Sri Lanka government is done according to the international safety standards and voluntarily.

“Our staff monitoring the situation on the ground say the majority of people are eager to return home, the returns are voluntary and in line with international protection standards,” UNHCR spokesperson Jennifer Pagonis said.

More than 90,000 people who were displaced in Batticaloa District after heavy fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka security forces last February were started being moved back to their original homes, Monday May 14. The areas were under the LTTE until the Sri Lanka security forces pushed them out of the area.

“UNHCR is fully involved in the return process,” said Pagonis who expects the return of the refugees would take few more months to complete.

“However, we do caution,” said Pagonis, “that attention should be given to categories of people with special needs and urge the government to continue the step-by-step phased approach, upholding international standards and ensuring that return will continue to be voluntary under any circumstances and at all times.”

UNHCR will continue to monitor the returns and report directly to the government on any problems regarding the voluntary nature and any deviation from the civilian characteristics of the move, the UN agency said.

Starting Wednesday May 16, UN agencies will be given full access to West Batticaloa to provide support to the returnees. The agency has called on the government to speed up access for other international aid agencies to the villages in West Batticaloa so they can carry out assistance programs aimed at reintegration and sustaining return, the UNHCR, further said.

The return to West Batticaloa is planned to take place in three phases. Under the initial phase, more than 34,000 people will be transported by bus to their villages of origin in the southern part of West Batticaloa in the next two weeks.

Local government officials are registering the returnees and issuing them with identity documents to ensure freedom of movement. Dry rations are also provided by the government for one week at the point of departure and a one month ration will be made available on return to the villages.
An advanced UN team, including UNHCR, carried out a preliminary joint assessment of West Batticaloa (phase 1 area). It seems that the conflict has had a relatively low level of impact in the area, the UN agency further said.

“The UNHCR representative in Sri Lanka is in Batticaloa to see the first movements and talk with senior government officials and local authorities on return and reintegration plans. There is a need for a more comprehensive understanding of what kind of assistance is required in the return areas to help restore essential services and boost livelihood opportunities in the area. UNHCR together with its partners is looking at possible reintegration packages and is calling on the international community to help with assistance, as well as asking the government to expedite its own rehabilitation plan for the return areas,” a UNHCR statement issued at the Palais Des Nations in Geneva said.