Sri Lanka's expulsion of top UN official condemned

New Delhi, Sep.6 (ANI): Asian Centre for Human Rights today condemned the expulsion of James Elder, the Communications Chief of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) by the Sri Lankan Government over his remarks about the Internally Displaced People (IDPs), in particular, the conditions of children in camps.

Elder was told on Saturday to leave within two weeks.

"This is an obnoxious attempt to turn the IDP camps into closed door slaughter houses where children are being killed as a result of manufactured starvation and where thousands of ethnic Tamils have been disappearing at the hands of the Sri Lankan army," said Suhas Chakma, Director of the ACHR.

Over 13,000 Tamil IDPs have disappeared according to various UN reports and only about 2,000 detainees are subject to visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Asian Centre for Human Rights urged the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and international donors, including India, which sanctioned Rs 500 crores for the Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, to demand revocation of expulsion of Elder, full and unrestricted access to the IDP camps by the United Nations and international agencies, and respect for human rights and humanitarian law standards by the Sri Lankan government.

"Unless international donors ensure respect for full and unrestricted access, they shall be condoning and contributing to continued flagrant violations of international human rights and humanitarian law standards by the Sri Lankan government," Chakma added. (ANI)