E5 Sri Lanka

Submitted by Fire Brigades Union 

The Guardian newspaper on Monday 7 September reported on Sri-Lanka’s expulsion of a senior UN official who was critical of the Government-run “Welfare Camps”.

The concerns raised by James Elder, UNICEF head of communications, support those raised in a briefing issued on 10 August 2009, by Amnesty International, which drew attention to the state of emergency facing Sri Lankan civilians displaced, facing potential death and disease in the aftermath of a devastating civil war.

Amnesty have now launched a campaign demanding that the Government ‘Unlock the Camps’, where civilians are detained by troops regardless of the contravention of the ILO and international law.

There are 409,000 displaced civilians, with 60,000 children alone, effectively imprisoned in camps with no sanitation, shelter, insufficient food, water and visitation for families, all witnessed by the UN Secretary General who claimed these as “the most appalling scenes” he had witnessed.

Congress and affiliates must endeavour to support Amnesty’s campaign ‘Unlock the Camps’ to support freedoms for civilians by:

i)     campaigning for access to the camps by journalists, aid workers and politicians

ii)    raising awareness of the disappearances, abductions, arbitrary arrest and sexual violence taking place in the country

iii)   circulating Amnesty International’s ‘Unlock’ petition and campaign materials

iv)   working with sister organisations with similar goals to support democratic structures and processes in Sri Lanka

v)    providing financial assistance and support to civil society organisations working on behalf of vulnerable groups of people in Sri Lanka.

Mover:            Fire Brigades Union
Seconder:        National Union of Journalists