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Viewing cable 06COLOMBO1558, SRI LANKA: RECOMMENDED CONFLICT RESPONSE MECHANISM

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
06COLOMBO1558 2006-09-22 09:30 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED Embassy Colombo
VZCZCXRO6907
PP RUEHBI RUEHCI
DE RUEHLM #1558/01 2650930
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 220930Z SEP 06
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4314
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK PRIORITY 3044
RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS PRIORITY 0418
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 9423
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 6323
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 4368
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 9957
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0363
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA PRIORITY 0259
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 6880
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 4738
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1357
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0423
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 001558 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR DCHA/OFDA ANTONIA FERRERA AND ROB THAYER, 
DCHA/FFP, ANE/SA, SCA/INS AND PRM/ANE MELISSA PITOTTI; 
BRUSSELS FOR USEU LERNER; ROME FOR FODAG; KATHMANDU FOR 
OFDA WILLIAM BERGER; BANGKOK FOR OFDA TOM DOLAN; GENEVA FOR 
UNOCHA AND IFRC NANCE KYLOH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PTER
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: RECOMMENDED CONFLICT RESPONSE MECHANISM 
FOR IDPS FACING HUMAN RIGHTS THREATS, POSSIBLE FORCED 
REPATRIATION 
 
 
 1. Summary: During the last 20 years, Sri Lanka has been 
home to significant populations of internally displaced 
persons (IDPs), who have been especially vulnerable to 
threats against their physical and psychological 
wellbeing and livelihoods.  Many of the 207,756 new 
conflict IDPs in Sri Lanka are facing these same 
vulnerabilities, especially lack of basic essential needs 
for food, water and shelter, but also for information 
about and protection of their human rights. Most 
recently, incidents of involuntary repatriation of IDPs 
has highlighted their vulnerabilities.  In the context of 
growing displacement and human rights abuses, an improved 
mechanism for USG emergency assistance provision, namely 
a rapid response umbrella grant mechanism, is proposed. 
End summary. 
 
HISTORIC VULNERABILITIES OF SRI LANKAN IDPS: 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
2. When the Cease Fire Agreement was signed in 2002, 
after over 20 years of violence, UN agencies had 
registered approximately 735,000 Internally Displaced 
People (IDPs) throughout Sri Lanka.  By 2006, this number 
had dropped to around 317,000 since many had returned 
home during the three-year cessation of hostilities.  The 
experience of these IDPs is instructive in understanding 
the conditions current IDPs are facing and will continue 
to face. 
 
3. A short list of the protection and living concerns 
that IDPs have faced during the last two decades in Sri 
Lanka includes:--Unfulfilled requirements for basic 
living needs such as food, water, and shelter; 
--Compromised health due to poor living conditions and 
limited or poor quality of health care; 
--Loss of personal identification and documentation, 
contributing to loss of legal status and civil rights; 
--Disrupted or otherwise limited opportunities for 
education of children; 
--Increased social and physical risks against women due 
to separation of families, lack of police protection in 
welfare centers, and increased incidence of domestic 
violence; 
--Loss of livelihood opportunities due to displacement 
from means of livelihood (tools, workplaces, seashore) 
and presence in a new community as an outsider; 
--Threats of forced recruitment of adults and youth by 
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or its 
breakaway Karuna faction; 
--High rates of alcohol and substance abuse among the 
unemployed male population; 
--Sexual and gender-based violence and sexual 
exploitation of vulnerable women and children; and 
--Increased prevalence of psycho-social and psycho- 
traumatic stress disorders. 
 
CURRENT IDPS ACING SIMILAR VULNERABILITIES 
------------------------------------------- 
 
4. From April to Septmber 2006, fighting on several 
fronts in the North and East created a new wave of 
population displacement. The UN High Commission for 
Refugees (UNHCR) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) 
GIS & Statistics Unit's public report of September 12, 
2006 indicates approximately 207,756 people were 
displaced to locations within 11 administrative 
districts. (Note: Some organizations have expressed 
doubts about these figures, estimating that they may be 
exaggerated by as much as 25%.  End note.) 
 
5. Concomitant with this displacement has been a 
significant increase of human rights abuses, both against 
 
COLOMBO 00001558  002 OF 004 
 
 
IDPs and resident civilian populations. A major 
international organization noted that the number of 
incidents such as extrajudicial killings, beatings, and 
disappearances during the months of January to August 
2006 are more than double the total figures for 2005. 
The most serious examples of these include a June 17 
paramilitary unit attack with assault rifles and grenades 
on civilians hiding in a church in Mannar, the August 4-5 
attacks on civilians as they fled Muttur, the August 5 
killings of 17 ACF aid workers in Muttur, the August 14 
aerial bombardment of a children's institution in 
Mullaitivu, the August 20 disappearance of a Catholic 
priest in Jaffna, islands, attacks on civilians as they 
fled Muttur, and the September 19 machete-inflicted 
deaths of 11 Muslim workers in Ampara.  Regarding these 
events and others, many INGO and International 
Organization (IO) representatives have expressed concerns 
about a perceived attitude of impunity on the part of the 
GSL and other parties to the conflict.  They also assert 
that no thorough investigations are taking place nor is 
anyone being held accountable for abusive actions taken 
in the field. 
 
6. Red Cross, UN, and INGO sources report that recent IDP 
populations currently face several vulnerabilities: 
insufficient access to food, water and shelter; lack of 
adequate information on security conditions and locations 
where aid may be available; continued exposure to 
conflict (i.e., some IDPs especially those in Jaffna, 
remain trapped in high security zones with ongoing 
fighting and shelling); need for replacement 
identification documents including National Identity 
Cards; threats from recruitment activities of either or 
both the LTTE and Karuna factions; and ongoing war- 
related psychological trauma, especially for children. 
(Note: Sources for this report include ICRC, UNHCR, Mercy 
Corps, Christian Children's Fund, Catholic Relief 
Services, United Methodist Committee on Relief, and World 
Vision - all organizations that have been active and 
operational during recent IDP relief activities.  End 
Note.) 
 
7. One prevalent dynamic of the current population 
displacement is an underlying difference in 
vulnerabilities based on ethnic lines.  In the northern 
and eastern areas currently affected by conflict, there 
are three predominant ethnic groups: Tamils, Tamil- 
speaking Muslims, and Sinhalese. All of the INGOs 
interviewed for this report expressed views that there 
have been discernable differences in the aid response for 
each ethnic community, unofficially broken down as 
follows: The Government of Sri Lanka has provided aid to 
displaced Sinhalese groups almost exclusively.  Muslim 
IDPs have been provided aid primarily through their own 
network of local Muslim NGOs, with some INGO support. 
Tamil IDPs have often been out of reach of Government or 
INGO aid as many have been displaced into LTTE-controlled 
areas, or have taken refuge with relatives in various 
parts of the country.  The INGOs seem to agree that Tamil 
IDPs have the greatest vulnerabilities, as they are 
subject to abduction and recruitment from LTTE and Karuna 
forces, and they are subject to suspicion and reprisals 
from the predominantly Sinhalese government forces. 
 
COERCED REPATRIATION OF MUTTUR IDPS 
------------------------------------ 
 
8. In June approximately 40,000 IDPs fled to the Muttur 
area south of Trincomalee area to take refuge in the area 
around Kantale, where services for food, water and 
shelter were quickly organized (reftel Colombo 01293). 
INGOs and UN Agencies providing aid to the Kantale IDPs 
 
COLOMBO 00001558  003 OF 004 
 
 
reported that most people were unwilling to quickly 
return out of fear of ongoing violence and lack of 
assistance in Muttur. During the week of September 6-11, 
the GSL very quickly organized a convoy of 60 buses to 
transport IDPs from the Kantale camps back to Muttur.  UN 
and INGO accounts of this action indicate that most IDPs 
were compelled if not forced to get on the buses and 
return. The coercion to depart Kantale included both 
physical intimidation from armed forces as well as the 
official stoppage of essential NGO services such as food 
and water distribution in the camps. 
 
9. On September 13, UN and INGO agencies conducted a 
joint needs assessment in Muttur town and surrounding 
environs. Informal reporting from this assessment 
indicated that the Muttur returnees are facing these 
challenges: many homes were damaged or destroyed by 
fighting and shelling and there are requirements for 
emergency or transitional shelter; there is a threat of 
unexploded ordinances and possibly landmines in civilian 
residential areas; threats remain from the spillover of 
ongoing conflict in neighboring areas of Sampur and 
Maavilaru; agricultural crops have been damaged by troop 
and animal movements; essential services such as water, 
electricity, policing, and schools have not resumed; the 
returnees and especially children are suffering from 
psychological fears and traumas from fighting, shelling 
and their recent displacement; Tamil returnees are 
particularly vulnerable to possible retributive attacks 
and most report not feeling safe about returning to live 
in Muttur Town. 
 
10. At this point, currently no UN or INGO agencies are 
operational or providing services in Muttur.  Though this 
will likely change soon, agencies express concerns about 
anti-NGO sentiments and the security environment in the 
wake of the killing of 17 local ACF workers and continued 
fighting in neighboring areas.  With Muttur, as in 
general in the North and East, humanitarian agencies 
continue to indicate that restricted access remains their 
greatest challenge in responding to the needs of IDPs and 
the recently returned population.  These challenges are 
greatest for agencies seeking to work in LTTE-controlled 
areas, as well as for the Jaffna Peninsula which remains 
isolated from land access, and is accessible by sea only 
with special permission from each party to the conflict. 
 
IDENTIFYING AN EFFECTIVE CONFLICT/IDP RESPONSE MECHANISM 
--------------------------------------------- ------------ 
 
11. The dramatic increase in incidents of population 
displacement and localized episodes of human rights abuse 
suggest the need for a robust response by the United 
States Government.  The episodic, geographically diverse, 
and ethnically complicated nature of these incidents, 
however, poses significant challenges to mounting an 
effective and systematic humanitarian response. Many of 
the agencies interviewed for this report were asked the 
question, "How can the US be more effective in meeting 
the needs of IDPs, returnees and at-risk civilian 
populations?"  With slight variations, almost all 
agencies indicated the elements of what would be a 
recommended effective response mechanism: capability for 
rapid response to episodic conflict-related disruptions, 
flexibility to quickly adjust programming within sector 
areas or among geographic locations as required by 
identified needs, and utilization of local field 
knowledge, trust and access to IDPs and vulnerable 
populations.  In the words of one NGO representative, 
there is a need for a mechanism that moves beyond "one 
incident - one proposal." 
 
 
COLOMBO 00001558  004 OF 004 
 
 
12. Considering these recommendations, USAID Sri Lanka 
envisions the development of an OFDA-funded conflict 
emergency umbrella mechanism managed by a leading INGO. 
This mechanism might be structured as follows: an INGO 
with predominant relief and sub-grant capability, 
experience with the Sri Lankan environment, and 
established access in conflict areas would be selected 
through an Annual Program Statement process.  This INGO 
would be awarded an estimated amount of 3-5 million USD 
to establish a one-year umbrella response mechanism for 
conflict response activities including needs assessments, 
non-food-relief item distribution, emergency shelter, 
water/sanitation, emergency primary health care, 
protection activities, and psycho-social interventions. 
The INGO grantee could respond on its own and also 
support local NGOs to address service needs directly 
through rapid in-country decision making.  The INGO 
grantee would liaise both with the OFDA Regional Advisor 
and USAID Sri Lanka Mission Humanitarian Program Manager. 
 
CONTINUING ADVOCACY WITH CONFLICT PARTIES 
------------------------------------------ 
 
13. In addition to providing recommendations on enhancing 
the US Government's response mechanisms, the interviewed 
agencies expressed views that the United States and other 
foreign missions and donor agencies continue advocacy 
efforts to protect rights of civilians including IDPs, to 
insist that armed forces make every effort to prevent or 
limit civilian casualties, to insist the GOSL allow for 
humanitarian corridors both for civilian populations to 
escape conflict as well as for aid to reach the affected, 
and that combatant parties respect the rights of IDPs to 
make their own decisions on movement and return based on 
their preferences and perceptions of their personal 
safety. 
 
14. Lastly, given reports indicating discrepancies and 
variances in GSL assistance to communities according to 
ethnicity, the INGOs recommend continued advocacy with 
the GSL to provide aid and protection to all of its 
citizens and victims of the conflict with impartiality 
and regardless of ethnicity. 
 
RECOMMENDATIONS: 
---------------- 
 
15. USAID Sri Lanka requests USAID/OFDA to assess the 
feasibility and funding capability to establish an 
emergency conflict response mechanism as described above 
in paragraph 11. 
 
16. The Mission will continue to press the GSL on the 
protection of the physical and human rights of civilians, 
including conflict IDPs, on the impartial provision of 
official assistance to all conflict-affected civilians in 
Sri Lanka regardless of ethnicity, and on the 
facilitation of humanitarian access and operational space 
to UN, Red Cross, and INGO agencies to provide essential 
humanitarian assistance to all populations in need. 
BLAKE