UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar has visited refugee camps in Sri Lanka’s north housing people displaced by intense fighting between government forces and the LTTE.
Nambiar visited camps around Vavuniya that are housing some 251,000 people displaced by the war that ended with the defeat of the LTTE and elimination of its top leadership including Tiger supremo V Prabhakarn early this week.
Nambiar’s visit to the refugee camps came a day ahead of Ban’s scheduled arrival in Sri Lanka.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that, according to the Sri Lankan Government, all IDPs have left the conflict zone and have gone through transit points.
It has put the total number of uprooted people in camps at 272,000, out of whom 251,000 are in Vavuniya.
OCHA voiced concern about overcrowding at the camps at Menik Farm, where access is restricted for aid vehicles.
Nambiar also met members of the Tamil National Alliance, who are also Parliament members. He met President of the Tamil United Liberation Front V Anandasangaree.
The two men discussed the situation of the IDPs remaining in the conflict zone many of whom have either died, were injured or are missing as well as the hospitals abandoned due to heavy shelling.
They also conferred on allocating more land to address overcrowding and the provision of necessary supplies, especially for children.
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I hope Nambiar’s visit to the refugee camp will bring some good difference to the plight of poor helpless people.