Displaced residents in Mannar district living in temporary shelters have had little assistance because of stringent security checks at government checkpointsIntensified fighting in recent months in Sri Lanka's restive northwestern Mannar District has forced more than 16,000 people to flee to safe areas within the region.
In light of this, A Nicholasspillai, the government agent for Mannar, told IRIN he had made contingency plans for up to 25,000 additional IDPs fleeing the clashes between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the district, while government military spokesman Brig Udaya Nanayakkara also expected additional civilians to flee to government-controlled areas in the district.
"There are 40,000 people registered as living in the Manthai West division [an LTTE-controlled area] where fighting is intense," Nicholasspillai told IRIN. "Most of them have already moved out of the [immediate] areas where the fighting is taking place, but if the clashes continue and they move further north, they will have no other option but to flee to government areas."
Fighting has been continuous along the line of control in Mannar District since December 2007, with government forces trying to dislodge the Tamil Tigers from their frontline positions.
The conflict has also threatened Madhu church and its prominent 500-year-old statue, Our Lady of Madhu. Clashes close to the church prompted Catholic authorities to relocate the statue and key artifacts and documents. "Our Lady of Madhu [statue] has become a refugee in her own land for the first time," the Catholic bishop for the district, Rev Rayappu Jospeh, said.
Access limited
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), there were 23,000 IDPs in Mannar District by end-March. Most of the displaced - 16,700 - remained in the Manthai West division, under the control of the Tigers. No access is available to the division through government-controlled areas in Mannar due to the fighting. Humanitarian agencies have had to reach the displaced through the Tiger-controlled Kilinochchi District.
UN agencies have reported that security and access restrictions have affected their ability to provide medical assistance to those displaced in Manthai West.
"[The UN Children's Fund] UNICEF reports that due to ongoing military operations, Public Health Midwives (PHM) have returned to Mannar and only one [government] medical officer and three PHMs are covering the whole of Manthai West," the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (ISAC) stated in its latest situation report released on 12 April.
"Approval for transportation of Tri-posa [a children's nutritional supplement] and Corn Soya Blend to Manthai West is pending. In 2007, only three of the 12 months' supplies were transported," it said.
Checkpoint delays
Nicholasspillai said strict security measures had also delayed supplies to government-controlled areas of the district. "Access continues to be problematic due to the checkpoints."
All vehicles proceeding to Mannar undergo rigorous screening by government security forces at Madavachchiya, 90km from Mannar, where supplies are unloaded and reloaded into vehicles.
"That takes a considerable amount of time and there are other checkpoints on the road to Mannar," Rukshan Fernando, coordinator for the human rights in conflict programme at the Law and Society Trust (LST), a Colombo-based rights advocacy group, told IRIN.
Sri Lankan military authorities told IRIN they were not denying anyone entry into Mannar but were taking precautions to prevent attacks by the Tamil Tigers. "We have not restricted anyone, but the usual strict checking is in place," Nanayakkara said. "We have to be responsible for the safety of everyone."
Nicholasspillai said humanitarian agencies were also awaiting clarification from security authorities regarding the status of a new IDP centre at Kalamoddai, which is sheltering about 200 people in temporary shelters. Nicholasspillai said more IDPs were expected to arrive there. So far, the humanitarian community had limited its assistance to the provision of emergency supplies, he said.
Nanayakkara said: "We plan to set up more sites as the number of people fleeing the Tiger areas increases."
Disclaimer:This material comes to you via IRIN, the humanitarian news and analysis service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations or its Member States.
Photo: Copyright IRIN
