H. Res. 711 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

November 4, 2009. 

Whereas May 2009 marked the conclusion of the 26-year 

struggle between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 

(LTTE), a State Department designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, and the Government of Sri Lanka, 

and the Government of Sri Lanka committed itself to 

caring for and ensuring the speedy return of the civilians 

internally displaced as a result of the fighting; 

Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka is seeking to identify 

former combatants who were part of the LTTE and as 

part of the vetting process the Government of Sri Lanka 

has set up make-shift camps that initially housed over 

280,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled 

their homes as the war drew to an end; 

Whereas of those 280,000 internally displaced persons at the 

end of the war, approximately 10,000 of those individuals 

are being separately held by the Government of Sri 

Lanka as former combatants or on suspicion of having 

supported the LTTE; 

Whereas as part of the United Nations Human Rights Council 11th Special Session on Sri Lanka held on May 27, 

2009, the Government of Sri Lanka made commitments 

to the world to improve the conditions for the civilians 
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housed in the camps and stated that the ‘‘bulk’’ of the 

IDPs would be resettled within 180 days; 

Whereas as of October 23, 2009, over 51,000 IDPs have 

been released from the closed camps in the Vanni, and 

of those 36,000 have been returned to their districts of 

origin and found accommodation in their own homes or, 

pending return to their homes, with host families and in 

vacant houses of friends or relatives; and over 16,000 

IDPs of special categories, such as the elderly, pregnant 

women and their families, priests, students, or people of 

special needs, have been released to host families or institutions; 

Whereas as of October 23, 2009, some 220,000 civilian IDPs 

still remain in military-guarded camps in the four northern districts of Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna, and 

Trincomalee; 

Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has announced that 

it would facilitate in the next few weeks the voluntary return of over 40,000 civilian IDPs by the end of October 

and 60,000 per month of the remaining IDPs in the 

camps; 

Whereas the Government of Sri Lanka has made some 

progress in easing camp congestion, registering IDPs, expanding access to humanitarian organizations, and 

demining the north, but much remains to be done to improve humanitarian conditions, particularly before the 

onset of the monsoon season; 

Whereas the United States is urging the safe and speedy return of civilian IDPs, continued access for international 

humanitarian organizations, and the registration and 
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provision of national identification cards to IDPs, to help 

promote freedom of movement; and 

Whereas the United States supports the rapid release and 

voluntary return of all civilian IDPs as a critical element 

of national reconciliation in Sri Lanka: Now, therefore, 

be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) urges the Government of Sri Lanka, consistent 

with its obligation to provide security for all of its citizens, to expeditiously allow freedom of movement for civilian internally displaced persons (IDPs) to leave their 

camps voluntarily and return in safety and dignity to 

their homes or, where that is not possible, to live with 

host families or move to open transit sites; 

(2) calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to ensure 

that IDP camps are truly civilian in nature and administered by civilian authorities, rather than under military 

supervision, and give full access to national and international humanitarian organizations and observers, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, 

in order to monitor the situation and to assist in the 

care of IDPs; and 

(3) urges the Government of Sri Lanka to promote 

justice and political reconciliation for all parties, and engage in dialogue with all parties, including Tamils inside 

and outside Sri Lanka on new mechanisms for devolving 
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power, improving human rights, and increasing accountability. 

Attest: 

Clerk.