2009-11-25 14:14:06

Church workers say Sri Lankan resettlement program for Tamils chaotic


( Nov.25,2009): The Sri Lankan government program to resettle ethnic Tamils, displaced in the 26-year civil war is descending into chaos, with thousands of people dumped in a Jaffna sports stadium without adequate resources, said church workers.Caritas Jaffna and its partner Catholic aid agencies, are struggling to pick up the pieces, providing temporary shelter, food, water and sanitation for those displaced, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.
The Sri Lankan government has been under intense international pressure to speed up the re-housing of about 260,000 displaced people, who have been held in camps in northern Sri Lanka since fighting ended in May. But the rush to resettle detainees in the Jaffna Peninsula and other areas has resulted in havoc, due to the lack of proper shelters in the monsoon,
Fr. Christopher Jayakumar, the head of Caritas' human development center in Jaffna, told UCA News. Families are being transported to the Jaffna sports stadium, where they have to line up to register with the military and have their baggage checked. They then must get a pass to enter the city, UCA News reported. They are given 5,000 rupees ($50) as pocket money and an additional 20,000 rupees by the government's rehabilitation ministry. After that, they rely mostly on charity for support. "Most have lost their life savings. They are dependent on the church," said Fr. Jayakumar. "Needs are very high and we need help," he added.
The U.S. bishops' Catholic Relief Services and Jesuit Refugee Service have been working with Caritas







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