Displaced Tamils in SL trapped between military and monsoon:AI

Washington, Oct 9 (PTI) A quarter of a million Tamil civilians being held in de facto detention camps in Sri Lanka are facing a humanitarian disaster as monsoon rains threaten to flood camps, Amnesty International said today.

In a statement, it alleged that the Sri Lankan government authorities have failed to deliver basic services to relief camps set up in the Vavuniya district in the north-east that were created following conflict with the LTTE.

These camps remain overcrowded and lack basic sanitation facilities. As a result, during heavy rains in September, rivers of water cascaded through tents and forced camp residents to wade through overflowing sewage, it said.

"People living in these camps are desperate to leave," said AI's Sri Lanka expert Yolanda Foster, who is in contact with relatives of some camp residents. "The government must ensure that the displaced are treated with dignity.