Local NGOs are anxious over the decision of several international agencies to reduce programmes and staff in Jaffna, probably a result of donor insistence on the link between flow of foreign aid and progress in the peace process. According to the Colombo-based Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies, the German Technical Assistance (GTZ) and Save the Children have reduced projects while some NGOs are planning to close down.
The Jaffna NGO consortium complained to the Norwegian ambassador Hans Brattskar in early March that the basic needs and aspirations of the people have not been satisfied despite the expenditure of Rs 3 billion ($30 million) under two programmes assisted by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank - North-East Community Restoration and Development (NECORD); North-East Irrigated Agriculture Project (NEIAP).
The Rehabilitation Ministry has spent millions of rupees to prepare needs assessments, but the consortium alleges that there has been failure to involve the people in formulating plans and identifying real needs. Women organisations are worried over increasing problems of women and children which they say are not adequately addressed.
UNHCR said on 13 February that Sri Lanka's snap parliamentary elections could seriously slow efforts to resettle refugees. Head of UNHCR’s Executive Committee Jean-Marc Boulgaris believes that the uncertainty that comes with the elections will dilute the international community's commitment to invest in Sri Lanka, adversely impacting on the IDPs.
According to UNHCR, 356,000 of the 800,000 IDPs have returned to home areas since the ceasefire. Of the 396,000 receiving government assistance, some 94,100 are in refugee camps and many others live with friends or relatives. Some 65,000 refugees remain in camps in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. More than 5,950 persons have returned from India on their own and 860 with UNHCR assistance. UNHCR spokesman John Breusch says conditions are not conducive in Sri Lanka for organised mass return of refugees from India.
Refugees International confirms the position of UNHCR. Refugees are eager to return to Sri Lanka, but they are concerned that the conflict has not been resolved. According to the Geneva-based Global IDP Project of the Norwegian Refugee Council, many in the returning population face threats to safety, dispossession of property, landlessness and lack of basic infrastructure and services.
IDPs are troubled over the selection process for resettlement and the selected locations. They are worried about security when resettlement is offered near military camps or in areas where different communities live. Following a mission to the east, the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission (HRC) urged that selection of locations must be done with greater sensitivity and consultation with necessary security arrangements.
There are complaints of discrimination in selection. In some cases, former residents of the areas where resettlement takes place, have not been selected for assistance. The HRC says that it has not been able to obtain the selection criteria from government officers and has called for greater transparency.
Under NECORD, IDPs are encouraged to return to villages and begin re-building. Only after clear signs of resettlement, a family would be paid Rs 25,000. Rs 75,000 is paid to TRO which acts as the implementing agency for constructing a house. As part of the assistance, the family will also be provided dry food rations for six months.
The HRC emphasizes that assistance must be reasonable and the requirement of ‘resettlement first and assistance later’ should be reviewed. HRC recommends that facilities such as water supply, health, sanitation and education should be in place before resettlement and given the high rates of malnutrition, dry rations should continue for at least a year.