COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office
COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office
COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office
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SRI LANKA 7 MARCH <strong>2012</strong><br />
―Former Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels in Sri Lanka say they cannot find jobs or reintegrate<br />
into society, a year after they were freed from government ‗rehabilitation‘ and detention<br />
camps.<br />
In a series of exclusive interviews with the BBC, some also said they were being<br />
harassed by the security forces, though others were being left alone.<br />
―Officials did tell us, off the record, that rehabilitation is not considered to end as soon<br />
as the former LTTE members leave the camps, and that for at least six months after<br />
their release they must register at the police station and are not allowed to migrate<br />
domestically or abroad. A close eye is kept on them, we were told. There do not seem<br />
to be clear regulations on this.<br />
At the same time, the government is publicising one village development scheme in<br />
which it says former LTTE members are voluntarily participating. It says the<br />
International Labour Organisation and others are funding livelihood programmes for excombatants.‖<br />
4.27 Information on the situation of former detainees from the Vanni region with regards to<br />
issues such as Release documents; Repeated registrations; Surveillance and visits to<br />
ex-detainees' homes; Freedom of Movement; Freedom of Association and Freedom of<br />
Religion; CID Meeting; Livelihood Issues and Threats against families of ex – detainees<br />
is available from the Law and Society Trust report Threats, Harassments and<br />
Restrictions on Former Detainees and Their Families in Vanni.<br />
4.28 On 1 December 2011 the official website of the government of Sri Lanka 99 reported that<br />
―A project, spearheaded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), to<br />
rehabilitate ex LTTE cadres is nearing completion, with Japan, too, throwing its weight<br />
behind the programme.<br />
―In a brief interview with The Island, Danziger said that Japan had recently provided 1.5<br />
mn USD (more than Rs. 150 mn) for the ongoing project aimed at reintegrating former<br />
LTTE personnel to the civil society and reconciliation efforts.<br />
―Close on the heels of Japanese support, Norway, finalized an agreement with the IOM<br />
to provide funds amounting to Rs. 57 mn (NOK 3 mn) for the same project.‖<br />
―The <strong>UK</strong> provided £650,000 (approximately $1 mn) for the IOM project.‖<br />
4.29 The same source 100 - quoting the IOM Chief of Mission Richard Danziger - also added:<br />
98 BBC News, Sri Lanka: Former Tamil Tigers complain of harassment, 30 July 2011<br />
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-14331595 date accessed 22 January <strong>2012</strong><br />
99 Official website of the Government of Sri Lanka, Reintegration of ex-LTTE cadres to society nearing<br />
completion – IOM, 1 December 2011<br />
http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca201112/20111201reintegration_ex_ltte_cadres.ht<br />
m date accessed 23 January <strong>2012</strong><br />
100 Official website of the Government of Sri Lanka, Reintegration of ex-LTTE cadres to society nearing<br />
completion – IOM, 1 December 2011<br />
http://www.priu.gov.lk/news_update/Current_Affairs/ca201112/20111201reintegration_ex_ltte_cadres.ht<br />
m date accessed 23 January <strong>2012</strong><br />
54 The main text of this <strong>COI</strong> <strong>Report</strong> contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 3 February <strong>2012</strong>.<br />
Further brief information on recent events and reports has been provided in the Latest News section<br />
to 2 <strong>March</strong> <strong>2012</strong>.
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