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TRO Notes to the press on International Refugees' Day

No step has yet been taken to carry out any plan or project to ameliorate the unfortunate conditions of the refugees and it is due to this grievous failure the plight of the refugees still continues as bad as it had been before the peace efforts were proceeded with, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) says in its note to the media in the eve of the International Refugees' day that falls today the 20th of June. The TRO's message further says this 20th day of June is the day for the refugees to voice together their urgent needs to see the light of day by being rehabilitated by those committed to the course of alleviating the state of refugees.

The Tamil refugees, who have been rendered homeless by the war ravaging as long a period as nearly a quarter of a century, are driven to such deplorable condition that should appeal to the conscience of the world at large on this day. Wherever in the world there are refugees, be they in the occident or in the orient they do as a single community raise their call in one voice every year on this International Refugees Day. They used to demonstrate before humanitarian organizations and UN High Commission. Even then they have been languishing in the same plight without being heard and attended to. Their cries end up as cries in the wilderness. Their tears dry up as unheeded. Their agony goes on unabated. Among these refugees are those who are still remaining in our own territory indefinitely left in the lurch.

While their habitats are being aggressively occupied by the armed forces they are away from their permanent abodes and having lost their independence they continue to be at the mercy of those who were erstwhile hospitable but do off and on put up with shrunk hearts. This miserable condition of not being able to return to their own soil continue even though a period of over two years have gone by even after the peace talks commenced. There has not been the least change from the wartime conditions of life in the NorthEast of Sri Lanaka. People still continue to suffer being confined to refugee camps, welfare centers and even sheltering in the shades of trees. Appeals after appeals have been made to those considered to have been charged with the care of these miserable lot. Appeals have gone even to those who have voluntarily taken upon themselves the responsibility of looking after the people stricken by the ravages of war.

But these appeals have invariably fallen on deaf ears. Peoples' organizations have been requesting us, the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) to help the international organisations and the world to understand and realise the cause for the complaints of these refugees and the intensity of the injurious conditions of their minds leaving alone the lack of wherewithal. It is for the conscience of the world community, humanitarian organisations and the UN agencies to act with moral responsibility to rescue these long suffering and distressed people from their monotony and relieve them of their anxious and troubled minds. The worldwide humanitarians are expected to be so conscientious as to press for the armed forces to vacate the dwelling premises of the inhabitants and the schools and places of worship in order for the refugees to return to their soil and resettle and thereby to cease to be refugees and shed that status and name known as 'refugee'.

In connection with this International Day the aggrieved people expect to go with their complaints and appeals to the locally stationed international organisations and UN agencies. We the TRO shall contribute our share by joining these activists for the refugees and we take this opportunity to request and appeal to all concerned to make this agitation a success.

20 June 2004

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