US official satisfied with Sri Lanka resettlement progress

Dec 9, 2009, 12:52 GMT

Colombo - US Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake Wednesday expressed satisfaction on with Sri Lanka's programme of resettling ethnic Tamils displaced by the civil war in northern Sri Lanka.

Tens of thousands of Tamils have been held in held in heavily guarded camps by the military in northern Sri Lanka since the defeat of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in May.

Blake, a former ambassador to Sri Lanka, said after a visit to the camps where nearly 100,000 displaced still remain that during his visit he observed evidence of progress of people being allowed to return home.

'I am pleased to see that those living in the camps have greater freedom to come and go,' he said, referring to a government decision to allow displaced Tamils to freely move out of camps.

Nearly 300,000 people displaced during the military operations against Tamil rebels in the northern part of the country were held in the camps for nearly six months without permission to leave the camps.

The government, facing increasing local and international pressure, decided on December 1 that civilians could either move out on their own, or remain in the camps until they are resettled.

Blake said that the defeat of the LTTE has 'created a tremendous opportunity' for the people of Sri Lanka.

'An important element of reconciliation is safeguarding and protecting the rights of all Sri Lankans. In practice, this means that journalists should be able to write their perspectives and report on events freely, without fear of reprisals,' he said.

Relations between US and Sri Lanka soured at end of the war amidst pressure from Washington to investigate rights violations.