Caritas: Sri Lankans still suffering in camps

(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."