(April 30, 2010) Almost a year after the conclusion of Sri Lanka's three-decade war,
some 90,000 refugees are still suffering in camps with little water, according to
the Catholic Church’s charity organization Caritas. In a statement released on Thursday
in Colombo, Caritas Sri Lanka affirmed that the nation “has yet to emerge from decades
of conflict with a real peace." Though the majority of those driven from their homes
by the fighting are now in resettlement areas, some 90,000 remain in camps where "conditions
are difficult." "Extremely high temperatures coupled with water shortages make the
situation bad," said Father George Sigamoney, director of Caritas Sri Lanka. "The
focus is shifting towards resettlement, but the needs of the people remaining in the
camps must be maintained. For example, educational facilities for children in the
camps are inadequate, and those who have resettled lament "insufficient basic services
such as transportation, lack of clean water, health services and roads. Caritas said
that a “large number of widows, female-headed families, disabled, orphans and elders
will need support."