Sarah Creech
Soc. 202
9/11/09
4:08 p.m.
In Sri Lanka, a 25-year civil war ended in May. The war was between the Government and a rebel group called the Tamil Tigers, who wanted to separate into their own state. While the war is now over, it still continues to effect many members of the country. This article is about; many war refuges being allowed to leave military run camps and reunite with their families again. This move is taking place because approximately 300,000 civilians have been held since May and people are now starting to be concerned for the detainee’s well fare. There are a lot of people who are in support of the detainee’s freedom because they believe that “military camps are an illegal form of collective punishment.” However the government has been skeptical about letting them go because they are concerned that some of the civilians might be rebel fighters. “So far, about 5,000 displaced civilians have been allowed to leave camp.”
While I can see the Governments point of view in this matter, I am inclined to agree with the international rights groups who argue against the military camps. It makes since that after such a long hard war the government would want to be extra cautious to make sure no one tries to upset the country’s newfound peace. However I do not believe it is fair to keep innocent civilians against their will and away from the families, just because they might be rebels. When it is not likely that they are rebels in the first place. I am a firm believer that everyone should be treated humanely and with respect, and from the looks of the pictures in this article it doesn’t look like these refuges have very good living conditions. This is inhumane and wrong and I hope that the government will continue to release these people.
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