UN: IDPs 'intimidated' in NE
The United Nations has warned of an ‘emerging trend’ of intimidation of refugees in welfare centres in Sri Lanka government-controlled areas.
According to the Colombo office of UNHCR, Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in a welfare centre in Vavuniya were intimidated by a group of masked men. “The intimidators were local people, locality around the welfare centres,” UNHCR Information Officer, Lyndon Jeffels told BBC Sandeshaya (bbcsinhala.com). Air raid The intimidation has been happening in other welfare centres in the north and the east forcing the IDPs to flee creating a secondary displacement, Jeffels added. Calling for immediate access to all affected populations, the UNHCR says however the security situation has stabilised in most parts of the country after a turbulent week. A UN delegation is still investigating the situation in the Trincomalee district, the spokesman said. Refugees in India The UN refugee agency estimates that nearly 8000 people were displaced as a direct result of the air raids on Sampoor. UNHCR added that 8500 people were displaced after claymore bomb attacks in Muttur on 21 April and 3000 were earlier displaced following the market place bombing and ethnic riots in Trincomalee. Since 22 April 16 refugees have arrived in south India as a result of the latest upsurge in violence, according to the UN agency.