Tag Archives : internally displaced persons

Criticized by the West for its human rights abuses, Sri Lanka turns to the East

Criticized by the West for its human rights abuses, Sri Lanka turns to the East

The United Nations recently announced that internally-displaced persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka, housed in refugee camps since the time they fled their homes during the final and fatal offensive against the LTTE, can now go back to their homes. The questions are whether they still have homes to go back to and how safe is it for them to go back. The Sri [...]
UN warns over inhuman treatment of Tamil refugees

UN warns over inhuman treatment of Tamil refugees

The UN is said to be ‘devoting special energy to the displaced Tamils, most still interned in camps, because the issue was critical for the country’s future.’ Assessing the condition that the internally-displaced Tamils are in, the UN believes that the Tamil refugees’ situation is ‘putting reconciliation at risk.’ This is because the [...]
Sudan’s Self-Destruction in 2011

Sudan’s Self-Destruction in 2011

In Sudan, warlordism makes for uniquely legitimate military infrastructure. The Islamist government in Khartoum is headed by one General Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s chief warlord, who, in spite of an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, continues to ignore [...]
Darfur needs Obama now

Darfur needs Obama now

There have been other genocides apart from the one in Sudan. There had been systematic killing of populations in Germany, Cambodia, and Rwanda. The difference with the genocide in Darfur is that Omar al-Bashir, the perpetrator of the genocide, carries on his mockery of the justice system, ignores his arrest warrant for crimes against humanity and war [...]
Pakistan pleads for aid relief for its 2 million internally displaced persons

Pakistan pleads for aid relief for its 2 million internally displaced persons

For the hundreds of thousands displaced by the fighting in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, there has been very little actual assistance from both international NGOs and the Pakistani government itself. The numbers are mind-boggling: 200,000 additional internally displaced persons (IDPs) pouring in everyday into refugee camps. Pakistani [...]
Abductions of Tamil children suspected of being former LTTE child soldiers

Abductions of Tamil children suspected of being former LTTE child soldiers

Tens of thousands of Tamil children were displaced along with their families due to the intense fighting between Sri Lankan troops and the guerrilla group Tamil Tigers that saw the bloody defeat of the latter. These children are among the thousands now packed in refugee camps that have been observed as virtual prison camps. International human rights [...]
Pakistan: fighting intensifies, humanitarian crisis worsens

Pakistan: fighting intensifies, humanitarian crisis worsens

This Saturday, the Pakistani army was able to enter Mingora, the main town of the Swat valley in the northwest. Confrontations with the Taliban militants continue. According to a spokesman for the army, Major General Athar Abbas, the insurgents were driven from several quarters, and 17 rebels, including an important commander, were killed over the [...]
Tamil refugee camps: welfare villages as concentration camps?

Tamil refugee camps: welfare villages as concentration camps?

The victory over the Tamil Tigers leaves questions about the future of Sri Lanka and the condition of a quarter of a million refugees. Several humanitarian agencies have asked the government to ensure access to refugee camps controlled by government troops who suspect that rebels are hiding among the civilians. Gordon Weiss, spokesman for the UN in [...]
Sri Lanka defeating Tamil Tigers: wrong way to quell an insurgency?

Sri Lanka defeating Tamil Tigers: wrong way to quell an insurgency?

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) or more commonly called Tamil Tigers has been one of the more savage militant groups that have ever been formed. The group has been notorious in undertaking suicide bombings, as well as recruiting child soldiers. It is also known to have engaged in arms trafficking. The Tamil Tigers “were the pioneers in [...]