Ban confers with Sri Lankan official on plight of uprooted civilians

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a senior Sri Lankan Government official today discussed a number of issues concerning the post-conflict situation in the South Asian nation, including conditions in the camps housing displaced civilians and the importance of reconciliation and accountability.

Mr. Ban got a first-hand look at the situation in the camps, which are housing over 280,000 IDPs, when he visited the country in late May just after the Government declared that its military operation against the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had ended.

The conditions in the camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly with the approaching monsoon season, was just one of the issues discussed today during the Secretary-General’s meeting in Geneva with Mahinda Samarasinghe, Sri Lanka’s Minister for Disaster Management and Human Rights.

They also talked about the return of IDPs, as well as the importance of free movements of people among the camps and of international humanitarian aid workers, according to information provided by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.

Also discussed was the importance of reconciliation efforts, which the UN chief has previously stressed must begin immediately, and accountability, particularly in light of recent accusations of extrajudicial executions.

Mr. Ban has called for accountability for those who may have committed human rights abuses, as was agreed in the joint statement issued with the Government at the end of his visit in May.