Government misleads international community by showing Zero Camp in Menik Farm

Reliable sources told Lanka News Web that foreign dignitaries and foreign media are being taken to the Zero Camp in the Menik Farm IDP camp in order to show the plight of the displaced persons to the international community.

Civilians who arrived in government controlled areas during the latter half of 2008 and early 2009 are being housed at the Zero Camp and the camp is said to have better facilities than the other camps housing civilians believed to be LTTE supporters.

The residents in Zero Camp are provided with temporary shelters that have been roofed with metal sheets and are also allocated a little patch of land to cultivate foodplants like chilies and aubergines. The government has also taken steps to provide them with a considerable amount of facilities.

US Assistant Secretary of State for Displaced Persons, Erik Schwartz, who visited the Zero Camp in the Menik Farm IDP camp on July 26, said the government has taken necessary steps to improve the state in the IDP camps. The heads of India’s The Hindu newspaper also made similar statements after visiting the “O” camp in Menik Farm.

However, the IDP camps that house thousands of civilians who arrived in the government controlled areas during the final stage of the war are yet to receive drinking water, medicine, food items and even proper sanitary facilities. The government has not permitted any foreign dignitary or the media to enter into any of those camps.