Ex-Tamil Tiger fighters held in limbo

 

More than 10,000 are still in custody. Of these, 1,350 are classified as "criminals" and the government says they will be "dealt with according to the law".

He says he was not tortured. But the place lacks basic facilities. He has not been given any kind of training

Manjula Devi Wife of detained rebel fighter

Expatriate Tamils compare the conditions of this camp with that of Guantanamo Bay - but such accusations are yet to be proven. Nevertheless, activists say there is a lack of transparency.
"It is not right to hold thousands of individuals as suspects. The government needs to charge those involved with specific offences, produce them in court or release them," says Dr Yolanda Foster of Amnesty International.
"There is also a lack of information about the state of the suspects. This raises serious questions about the possibilities of ill treatment. We are calling on the government to release the detainees unless they are charged with internationally recognised offences," she adds.

For the relatives of these former rebels, this is a trying time. A number of them are themselves living in government-run camps for the displaced.
'Ten-minute meetings' Manjula Devi, a mother of three, has just left the refugee camp to be resettled in Kilinochchi. Her husband is among those detained.
Many rebels surrendered at the end of the war - others were killed. "He was in the LTTE for three years. He was arrested at the end of the war. I met him a few times in the camp.
"They used to allow 10 minutes for the meeting. We have to stand across barbed wire fence. In the past I used to take cooked food for him. But now they are not allowing home-made food. So I just take biscuits for him."
"He told me he has not had a bath for more than 10 days due to a shortage of water. He says he was not tortured. But the place lacks basic facilities. He has not been given any kind of training," she says.
For months human rights groups have been calling on the government to publish full details about those in detention.
Wimal says his 22-year-old daughter was forcibly taken by the LTTE and served in the organisation for about two years.

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She has not told me anything about sexual abuses. I don't know whether she is hiding these things from me

Wimal Father of Tiger fighter

"When we reached the Vavuniya camp from the war zone, they made the announcement asking for those involved with LTTE to come forward and surrender. She heeded that and was taken to a separate camp," he says.
"When we met her she broke down and cried. But what can we do for her? As you can imagine girls would find it far more difficult to handle those conditions.
"She has not told me anything about sexual abuses. I don't know whether she is hiding these things from me," he says.
Wimal says he is longing for a reunion with his daughter. He says two of his other children were killed in shelling.
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