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New forum to discuss IDPs’ needs

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government on Monday announced a new forum to discuss Internally Displaced Persons’ (nearly three lakh war displaced housed in government transitional camps in the north) “protection issues”.

As per Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, the forum includes key stakeholders such as senior public officers, key focal points in the U.N. system and representatives of the international and local Non-Governmental Organisations engaged in providing protection to IDPs.

Mr. Samarasinghe said it was his intention to create forums in Colombo and Vavuniya to work for consensual decisions.

“When protection agencies seek to highlight these issues in the media in the first instance, the outcome will be a contest of words and a not a partnership that works on behalf of Internally Displaced Persons.”

He said regular coordination meetings would be held at which progress could be monitored jointly by the government and its partners. U.N.’s Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Neil Buhne and representative of the UNHCR Amin Awad welcomed the initiative.

The announcement came as President Mahinda Rajapaksa said economic strategies would be based on “home-grown” policies which would meet the unique needs of the country.

Addressing new recruits to the National Planning Service of the Finance and Planning Ministry Mr. Rajapaksa said that strategies should be developed by locals who have a thorough understanding of the ground realities with the intention of projecting what’s best for the country.

Meanwhile, Senior Presidential Adviser Basil Rajapaksa has instructed government officials to complete the development of the access road to the Madhu shrine before the annual festival on August 15 at a cost of Sri Lankan Rs. 95 million.

Separately, English daily The Island reported that Sri Lanka Navy has stepped up patrol in the Palk Straits to thwart fishermen “taking advantage of the easing of fishing restrictions to engage in smuggling and other illegal activities”.

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