UNCHR’s help sought for resettling Kevuliyamadu IDPs

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 April 2004, 03:56 GMT]
The people who were rendered refugees and were displaced during the war in 1985 from Kevuliyamadu in the Batticaloa district have demanded that they be allowed to resettle in their village, sources said.

The internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the village have been living as refugees in Kurukaal Madam, Kaluthavalai, and other neighboring villages for the past 19 years. The head of the Refugees Rehabilitation Association (RRA), Mr.K Balasundaram, has written to the UNHCR resident representative in Sri Lanka regarding the request of the IDPs.

On October 16, 1985, Sri Lanka Armed Forces expelled the Tamil families of the village. About 250 IDPs from about 65 families are living with well-wishers and friends. Attempts by the families to resettle during the peace talks in 1990 failed as the SLA denied permission.

Despite the two and a half years of ceasefire in the North-East, no action has been taken to resettle these IDPs in their homes. In its letter, the RRA has asked the UNHCR to take the necessary steps to resettle the IDPs in Kevuliyamadu.