Date:07/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/07/stories/2008090754291200.htm

International

Colombo refutes charge

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka on Saturday refuted assertions made by Amnesty International (AI) to the Human Rights Council on “severe problems of protection and assistance for displaced persons triggered by the intensification of hostilities” and blamed the LTTE for the displaced people’s plight.

The Ministry of Human Rights urged it and other concerned organisations to continue to “pressurise the LTTE to comply with these fundamental norms.”

It noted that despite the ongoing conflict, the state continued to provide humanitarian assistance to citizens.

“The government recognises that much of the humanitarian assistance that is sent to areas not yet cleared of LTTE presence does not reach the civilian population, but is misused by the LTTE. Added to this is the fact that IDP numbers are sometimes artificially inflated by local officials due to pressure exercised by the LTTE so as to generate increased amounts of humanitarian assistance,” it said.