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Book Review
Asylum for the displaced
V. SURYANARAYAN
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UNHCR’s experience of protecting internally displaced persons in Sri Lanka
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ETHNIC WARFARE IN SRI LANKA AND THE UN CRISIS: William Clarance; Pluto Press, London, pub. in Sri Lanka by Vijitha Yapa Publications, Unity Plaza, 2 Galle Road, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Price not mentioned.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established by the United Nations General Assembly by Resolution 428 (V) in 1950. Its mandate is to provide international protection to refugees and assist governments in finding permanent solutions to the problems of refugees.
The traditional practice of the UNHCR is to deal with the outflow of refugees from conflict situations only as and when the victims reach the countries of asylum as refugees. When Eelam War II erupted in Sri Lanka, after the withdrawal of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), and the failure of the peace talks between President Premadasa and Prabhakaran, the UNHCR officials in Colombo were confronted with a dilemma. They had the moral responsibility to protect the innocent victims of the conflict, who had not yet become refugees in the legal sense of the term for they were still within the island. They were referred to as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). There was a small team of UNHCR officials led by William Clarance, who were already present in the island, catering to the needs of reintegration of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who had returned to the island following the signing of the India-Sri Lanka Accord, 1987.
No precedents
The Sri Lankan experience was unique because there were no precedents, which could be followed. What is more, its legitimacy was questioned by the bureaucrats in UNHCR headquarters, who criticised the programme as going beyond the original mandate. Even the U.S. was opposed to the enhanced role of the UNHCR. Gradually the opposition waned. The activities of the UNHCR were welcomed by the government, was appreciated by the Tamils, accepted by both the combatants and attracted the support of the diplomatic community. Sadako Ogata, the new High Commissioner, heartily endorsed the initiatives. As a consequence, the UNHCR developed an innovative protective role for the IDPs, who were facing great risks in the war zone. So great was the success of the UNHCR programme that Richard Holbroke, senior bureaucrat of the U.S. State Department, declared few years later that the UNHCR should take over the responsibility of the IDPs worldwide.
William Clarance became interested in Sri Lanka very early in life while studying history in Oxford University. In 1988, he was appointed to head the UNHCR programme in Colombo to monitor the reintegration of refugees returning from Tamil Nadu. Under his leadership, the UNHCR started an extensive house-building programme; the UNHCR also made inputs into projects relating to road building, fisheries and vocational training.
Humanitarian assistance
The objective of the UNHCR was not to find a solution to the ethnic conflict. Nor was it trying to find common ground among the combatants and reconcile the widely different points of view. However, it provided the much-needed operational framework for humanitarian assistance. The officials of the UNHCR could move freely from war zones to peace areas, establish open relief centres on both sides of the line, organise and lead regular food convoys across the no man’s land and monitor the needs of the IDPs. They were able to infuse a modicum of trust. As a result, Clarance and his colleagues could make inputs to restore sanity and prevent situations from going out of control. One such illustration is given below.
In March-April 1991, a tragic event took place, which if had been left unchecked would have led to open hostilities. The incident took place in Madhu Church, in mainland Mannar, in an area controlled by the LTTE. The Sri Lankan armed forces demanded that the UNHCR should move the IDPs away so that they could launch military operations to flush out the Tigers.
Conflict resolution
Clarance was of the firm view that if the UNHCR were to move the IDPs away from Madhu, they would certainly panic and it would lead to a humanitarian disaster. He called on General Kobbekaduva in Anuradhapura and explained the situation. He proceeded to Colombo and highlighted the necessity to move away from the brink to the senior officials in the Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs. He called on Bradman Weerakoon, Advisor to President Premadasa, who was very keen to avoid military confrontation. Clarance also mobilised the diplomatic community by explaining the crisis situation to the senior diplomats of Indian, Canadian and British Embassies. Finally, wisdom prevailed and the National Security Council resolved not to proceed with the relocation of IDPs in Madhu.
Books relating to Sri Lanka’s ethnic conflict are innumerable. But this book, written by a field worker, with rare sensitivity, is fascinating because it provides rare insights from the war zone itself. More interestingly, it pleads for a more constructive role for the U.N. in intra-state conflict situations.
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