Dokument #1108589
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
The district of Vavuniya is controlled by
the LTTE in the north and by the government in the south (USCR Mar.
1996, 5). Crossing from one sector into the other requires
clearance from both the LTTE and the security forces (ibid.).
According to the U.S. Committee for
Refugees, in mid-December 1995 there were 5 camps in northern
Vavuniya (Mar. 1996, 5). Tamil Information indicates that at that
time there were 6 "welfare centres" in Vavuniya district (Oct.-Dec.
1995, 20).
Sources consulted by the DIRB rarely
referred to refugee camps in Vavuniya but to "transit" centres or
camps. Unless otherwise indicated, this Response will refer to
those transit camps.
The Sri Lanka Monitor of January 1996
reports the killing in Vavuniya town of a Sithamparapuram refugee
camp officer (2). The precise location of this UNHCR-managed camp
of approximately 4,000 families was not clear from this source,
however (ibid.). The attached Reuters report of 24 November 1995
cites officials in the government-controlled town of Vavuniya, who
said they had registered 168,430 "refugees" from the peninsular.
According to an official in Colombo, these "refugees" were "being
taken care of by the government and not by an organization."
Tamils fled south to escape the intensified
fighting between the LTTE and government forces in the north, and
at Vavuniya, the authorities converted public buildings and
warehouses into "refugee camps" (IPS 10 Jan. 1996).
According to two sources, Tamils arriving
in Vavuniya town from the north undergo a screening process by
security officials (IPS 10 Jan. 1996; Tamil Times 15 Jan. 1996, 4).
This process involves being photographed and having their
credentials checked, after which they are issued special passes and
moved to a transit camp (IPS 10 Jan. 1996; Tamil Times 15 Jan.
1996, 4), where they are given a temporary three-hour pass to go
into town to contact family or friends in the south who must agree
to take them in (IPS 10 Jan. 1996). Once camp arrivals have passed
the initial screening process, they are shifted to another camp
located near the Vavuniya railway station where they are again
"scrutinized" before being permitted to board trains for the south
(IPS 10 Jan. 1996; Tamil Times 15 Jan. 1996, 4). The screening
process was later streamlined, with priority given to the sick,
those travelling abroad for work, government officials, permanent
residents of the south and students studying outside Jaffna (IPS 10
Jan. 1996; Sri Lanka Information Monitor Dec. 1995, 7; Tamil Times
15 Jan. 1996, 4). The March 1996 Sri Lanka Information Monitor
attachment provides additional information on the procedure to
travel through Vavuniya and its three "detention centers."
Following the 31 January 1996 Colombo bombing, security measures at
the Vavuniya checkpoint were tightened (Sri Lanka Information
Monitor Feb. 1996, 5).
According to Murugesu Sivasithambaram,
president of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), Tamils were
"confined to special camps ... refused permission to leave ... and
[we]re not given the temporary pass that all residents of Vavuniya
must possess" (AFP 2 Dec. 1995). These passes were reportedly
issued in mid-February by the authorities (Sri Lanka Information
Monitor Feb. 1996, 5).
According to the Sri Lanka Information
Monitor, on 17 February 1996 the Human Rights Task Force
investigated Vavuniya's transit camps because of complaints of poor
conditions, of Tamils travelling to Colombo being harassment at
checkpoints and barriers (Feb. 1996, 6), and human rights groups'
concerns that the lengthy stays in these centers amounted to
"illegal detention" (ibid. Mar. 1996, 5).
Information on whether camp residents are
provided with money could not be found among the sources consulted
by the DIRB.
This Response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does
not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular
claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of
additional sources consulted in researching this Information
Request.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 4 December
1995. Quatrina Hosain. "Tamil Refugees Suffer Hardships, Face
Uncertain Future." (NEXIS)
_____. 2 December 1995. "107 Sri Lankan
Soldiers, Tigers Die in Heavy Fighting." (NEXIS)
Inter Press Service (IPS). 10 January
1996. Rita Sebastian. "Sri Lanka: War Refugees Wait in Camps for
Security Clearance." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 24 November 1995. BC Cycle.
Mohan Samarasinghe. "Sri Lanka Seeks More Troops to Help Hold
Gains." (NEXIS)
Sri Lanka Information Monitor: Situation
Report [Colombo]. March 1996. "Security Operations in the
South."
_____. February 1996. "Civilian Life: In
The North."
_____. December 1995. "Displacement and
Civilian Life."
The Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. January
1996. No. 96. "Murder in Vavuniya."
Tamil Information [London].
October-December 1995. Nos. 51-53. "Displacement of Tamils from
Jaffna."
Tamil Times [Surrey]. 15 January 1996.
Vol. 15, No. 1. Rita Sebastian. "The Displaced People–No End
to Their Suffering."
U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR).
March 1996. Issue Paper: The People in Between: Sri Lankans Face
Long-Term Displacement as Conflict Escalates. Washington, DC:
USCR.
Agence France Presse (AFP). 2 December
1995. "107 Sri Lankan Soldiers, Tigers Die in Heavy Fighting."
(NEXIS)
Inter Press Service (IPS). 10 January
1996. Rita Sebastian. "Sri Lanka: War Refugees Wait in Camps for
Security Clearance." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 24 November 1995. BC Cycle.
Mohan Samarasinghe. "Sri Lanka Seeks More Troops to Help Hold
Gains." (NEXIS)
Sri Lanka Information Monitor: Situation
Report [Colombo]. March 1996. "Security Operations in the South,"
p. 5.
_____. February 1996. "Civilian Life: In
The North," pp. 5-6.
_____. December 1995. "Displacement and
Civilian Life," p. 7.
The Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. January
1996. No. 96. "Murder in Vavuniya," p. 2.
Tamil Information [London].
October-December 1995. Nos. 51-53. "Displacement of Tamils from
Jaffna," p. 20.
Tamil Times [Surrey]. 15 January 1996.
Vol. 15, No. 1. Rita Sebastian. "The Displaced People–No End
to Their Suffering," p. 4.
International Service Group (ISG),
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Hull. Infrequent reports. March
1995 to April 1996.
Sri Lanka Information Monitor: Situation
Report [Colombo]. Monthly. November 1995 to March 1996.
Sri Lanka Monitor [London]. Monthly.
November 1995 to February 1996.
Tamil Information [London]. Bi-monthly.
January-February 1996.
Tamil Times [Surrey]. Monthly. January
to April 1996.
University Teachers for Human Rights
(Jaffna). 6 December 1995. Special Report #6. The Exodus From
Jaffna: October/November 1995. (Internet-SLNet)
On-line search of media sources.
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