Fleeing Tamil refugees being shot reminiscent of East Berlin

The incident at Menik Farm on September 26 when Tamil refugees were fired at is reminiscent of the days of East Berlin, when people were shot trying to cross to West Berlin.

V. Anandasangaree, leader of the moderate Tamil United Liberation Front has made this comparison of the days of East Berlin, relating to the Tamil internally displaced persons held against the will in Sri Lanka Army run camps and being shot recently.

His comments appearing in a report in the Colombo newspaper-The Sunday Leader of Oct 4th as follows:

V. Anandasangaree

There is absolutely no need for the government to keep these people in camps…

Speaking to The Sunday Leader V. Anandasangaree denounced the incident at Menik Farm on September 26, in which an altercation erupted between Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) “detained” at the Menik Farm IDP camp at Cheddikulam and members of the Sri Lanka Army deployed in the area.

“While a large part of the army must be commended for handling the IDPs in a very humane manner — there are however some bad eggs” Anandasangaree asserted, reiterating that the incident on September 26 spoke volumes for the “fast deteriorating and very sad situation concerning the IDPs.”

He insisted the army personnel involved in this particular incident “were entirely to blame” for what happened on September 26, where even an eight year old child was shot and seriously wounded.

While reiterating that the entire army could not be held responsible as a whole, for such “unwarranted incidents” he insisted that what happened on September 26 was “unforgivable.”

Reminiscent of the days of East Berlin, when people were shot trying to cross to West Berlin, the former Tamil MP said “There is absolutely no need for the government to continue holding these people.”

Adding that “the hardcore LTTE cadres have already escaped” what remains are “civilians” he said, maintaining that if vast areas of land still remained to be cleared of mines “there were plenty of family, friends including Sinhalese in border villages who have offered to keep the displaced persons with them until such time they could return to their former homes.”

Emotional and angry Anadasangree said, “These are our people — they are not traitors. They are not imbeciles. They are defenceless and homeless. They need to be treated as human beings, not cattle.”

Anandasanagaree dismissed claims that “the IDPs” who were shot at on September 26 had been trying to escape.

“This is absolute rubbish” he said, adding, “already some 20,000 have escaped these camps together with the help of some groups supporting the government — there was no need for this small group to try some foolhardy attempt when there are easier, safer ways of leaving those camps — provided one has the money to pay for it.”

He charged that, “most of the key LTTE cadres have escaped the camps and fled to India after paying some pro government para-military groups large sums of monies.” “Even the government is aware of this but have not been able to prevent it,” he said.

“It is only the poor civilians who cannot speak out or are unable to do anything for themselves and remain trapped in these camps are being forced to endure and suffer under very trying and terrible conditions.”