United Nations Radio

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says some 90,000 internally displaced people have returned to their villages in Sri Lanka's north and east over the past three months, under the ongoing return plan of the Sri Lankan government. UNHCR however says the returnees face resettlement difficulties including the danger of unexploded land-mines.

Patrick Maigua reports from Geneva.

Sri Lankan mother and child

UNHCR estimates that up to 274,000 people were displaced during the final months of the conflict in Sri Lanka. Following the recent returns, some 163,000 people still remain in IDP camps. UNHCR is assisting those who have returned with basic life support items including sleeping mats, bed sheets and hurricane lamps. The returnees also receive 250 US dollars in cash, as a first step towards helping them rebuild their homes and restart their lives. UNHCR spokesperson in Geneva Andrej Mahecic however says the presence of unexploded land-mines and ordinances pose great danger to the returnees:

"Humanitarian de-mining and the removal of unexploded ordnance are pre-requisites for delivery of humanitarian assistance, early recovery and development in conflict-affected areas. De-mining also enables infrastructure development and the resumption of social services and livelihoods. In addition to our overall assistance, UNHCR is providing five de-mining flail machines to help accelerate humanitarian mine clearing operations in former conflict areas. These machines are scheduled to arrive tomorrow and they will be delivered to the Government and then moved to the field immediately."

UNHCR says living conditions in the IDP camps continues to deteriorate and is strongly urging the government of Sri Lanka to expedite the return of all remaining IDP's to their areas of origin. UNHCR says those unable to return immediately must be accorded freedom of movement in and out of the camps. Patrick Maigua UN Radio Geneva.
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