Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA JAFFNA, KILINOCHCHI, MULLAITIVU, MANNAR, VAVUNIYA and TRINCOMALEE DISTRICTS Report # 11 | 10 - 23 October 2009 Displacement after April 2008 - IDP situation as reported by Government Agents as of 23 October IDPs 222,341 persons are currently accommodated in camps and During the period 1 April 2008 hospitals. to 23 October 2009 Vavuniya Camps: 205,7361 Mannar Camps: 9172 220,357 people are accommodated in temporary camps. Jaffna Camps: 7,4013 Trincomalee Camps: 6,3034 1,9845 IDPs (injured and caregivers) are in hospitals in various Hospitals: districts6 as of 28 August 2009. RELEASES, RETURNS & TRANSFERS 16,490 people have been released from temporary camps into Releases: host families and elders’ homes as of 23 October 2009. The majority of these people are elders, people with learning disabilities and other vulnerable groups. Returns to places of origin: 35,822 have been returned to Jaffna, Vavuniya, Mannar, Trincomalee, Batticaloa, Mullaitivu, Ampara and Polonnaruwa districts between 05 August and 23 October 2009. Transfers to the districts of origin and Out of a total of 30,593 IDPs transferred to transit sites since 11 accommodated in transit sites : September, 3,121 remain in transit sites in Jaffna, Trincomalee, and Mannar districts. The rest have been added to the ‘returns’ above. 1 Source: Government Agent Vavuniya 2 Source: Government Agent Mannar. 3 Source: Government Agent Jaffna 4 Source: Government Agent Trincomalee 5 Source: Ministry of Health 6 This includes GH Vavuniya, BH Cheddikulam, BH Poovarasankulum, Pampainmadu Hospital, DGH Mannar, BH Padaviya, GH Polonnaruwa, TH Kurunagala 1 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Sri Lanka | Joint Humanitarian Update | 2009 | Web site: http://www.hpsl.lk Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA I. Situation Overview & highlights • During 10-15 October, a delegation from the state assemblies of Tamil Nadu, India, was in Sri Lanka to assess conditions of IDPs in the North. Following a visit to Menik Farm, the delegation called for the immediate release of displaced people, the restoration of democracy and a political solution to the conflict. On 15 October, the Indian press reported GoSL assurances to the Tamil Nadu delegation that 58,000 IDPs would be sent back to their places of origin in 15 days. • On 14 October, UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said that the UK was concerned that there was no independent supervision of the process, by which over 11,000 IDPs had been identified as suspected LTTE cadres and moved to separate camps. Secretary Miliband further said that IDPs continue to have inadequate access to health care. He expressed concern that unusually heavy rains during August had demonstrated that the camps are ill-equipped for the sustained heavy rains expected from mid-October to December during the monsoon season. • On 19 October, a European Commission (EC) spokesperson stated that a thorough investigation has found Sri Lanka in breach of its commitments under several international human rights covenants. The investigation impacts upon a forthcoming European Union (EU) decision on whether to renew Sri Lanka’s beneficiary status under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) trade incentive scheme. • On 22 October, the European Parliament adopted a resolution deploring the continued confinement of 250,000 Tamil civilians in camps. The resolution asks that their return be organised and that humanitarian organisations be given free access to the camps in order to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance. It also called upon Tamil leaders to commit themselves to a political settlement and the GoSL to respect human rights in the conduct of trials of LTTE members. The resolution further said that the GoSL must cease its repression of the media in the name of its anti- terrorist legislation. • On 22 October, the US State Department delivered to Congressional Appropriations Committee staff a report detailing incidents that allegedly occurred during the final months of the conflict that may constitute violations of international humanitarian law or crimes against humanity and related incidents. President Mahinda Rajapakse is to constitute a committee of independent persons to study the report. 2 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Sri Lanka | Joint Humanitarian Update | 2009 | Web site: http://www.hpsl.lk Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA II. Sector Overviews & highlights SHELTER / NFI Vavuniya: • On 13 October, approximately two hours of rain resulted in IDP in Site 6B protesting about their damaged shelters. With military cooperation, Shelter agencies immediately dispatched shelter plastic to the site. The 6B shelters had deteriorated while the site lay unoccupied and maintenance is challenged by major capacity limitations. The Shelter Sector is considering response strategies to address similar situations in the future, when monsoon rains late in the day require urgent action but UN agencies and many NGOs are subject to movement restrictions. • Transfers to Site 6B from other sections of Menik Farm were suspended this week, due to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) emphasis on organising IDP returns to Trincomalee and Jaffna districts. The Vanni Security Forces Headquarters (SFHQ) has indicated that it will try to give agencies three days notice prior to restarting transfers to Site 6B. • Site 8 remains unoccupied three months after its construction. Transfers to Site 8 from other zones were suspended by the recent spate of IDP returns to their home districts. Furthermore, the deployment of Site 8 is delayed by the need to connect the site to electricity. • IDP transfers to Zone 0 from parts of Zones 3 and 4, perceived to be at risk of rising groundwater levels during the rains, started in the week commencing 12 October and were also suspended last week due to the focus on returns. Shelters are being decommissioned but only limited amounts of material are being salvaged. • Available capacity and resources will fall 60% short of shelter and tent maintenance requirements. This essentially means that, at present, only approximately 132,000 IDPs in Zones 2 through 8, plus the transit sites, will be able to live in uncongested and maintained shelters. Shelter agencies have indicated that maintenance is not funded beyond 31 December 2009. • Shelter agencies are considering innovative solutions to maintenance needs, such as draping recycled canopies on damaged tents, recycling tent poles and pegs and using lightweight plastic and polythene covers, to extend the life of some tent types. Short-term maintenance will continue in this manner, and only tents destroyed in extraordinary circumstances, such as falling trees, extreme weather etc., will be replaced. • Two weeks ago, a contingent of Menik Farm IDPs was transferred to the already congested and deteriorated sites at Thandikulam, Puthukulam MV and Komarasankulam school. In Thandikulam, essential repairs have been undertaken but the Shelter Sector has refused requests for additional tents, to avoid further overcrowding the site. At the highly deteriorated Puthukulam site, agencies are carrying out repairs where possible. Advocacy by the Shelter Sector has secured a SLA commitment to replace the worst tents out of their own stocks. Agency tents can thus be held in reserve for a more pressing emergency. • The short rains during the week starting12 October did not result in significant drainage difficulties. However, the emphasis remains on completing, correcting and maintaining main and surface drainage in preparation for the monsoons. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) is currently negotiating with the Road Development Department (RDD) to have the RDD cover road drainage maintenance in all sites. Further, the Vanni SFHQ has instructed all zonal commanders to ensure that surface drains are adequately maintained. • The progress of road and surface drainage is given below as quoted by Shelter partners. In some instances, completion figures are felt to be overoptimistic in comparison to progress observed on the site. In other instances, drainage channels already require maintenance or corrective work before the rains. Zone 1: Road drainage cleaning and surface drainage completed. Zone 2: DMC has completed nearly 50% of fencing for drainage safety. No progress has been reported for the past two weeks. The DMC reports that road drainage is complete. RDD maintenance of 3 United Nations Office of the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Sri Lanka | Joint Humanitarian Update | 2009 | Web site: http://www.hpsl.lk Joint Humanitarian Update NORTH EAST | SRI LANKA road drains is required. Surface drainage is complete in 3 out of 22 blocks with the rest awaiting agency availability. Zone 3: Road drainage is 100% complete. Fencing along deep drains is pending and remains a concern. Surface drainage is 95% complete with maintenance required. Zone 4: Road drainage is completed, with maintenance needed. Major drainage channel fencing is yet to start and is a significant safety concern. Surface drainage is 95% complete. Gap filling by Shelter agencies in the GoSL blocks has started. Surface drainage in all blocks is covered by agency commitments. However, corrective and maintenance work is required. Zone 5: Road drainage is 97% complete, with maintenance required. Surface drainage is 95 % complete. Site 6A: Road drainage is complete. Surface drainage is 98% complete