COI Report March 2012 - UK Border Agency - Home Office

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