The situation is becoming worse as more refugees arrive in Vavuniya from the LTTE-held Vanni. The refugees complained to press reporters from Colombo in late February that the camps are managed more like prisons. Although the security forces claim that 12-hour passes are issued, camp residents say that they are allowed only four hours outside camps. Students were earlier given weekly permits to attend school, but now they are expected to obtain permits every day. Poonthottam camp residents K Pushpanathan and S Ramakrishnan were wounded when they were attacked by police on 28 January.
Sanitary conditions are extremely poor in the camps which are referred to as welfare centres .
Refugees say that in some camps cleaning of latrines are irregular and may be causing disease. When complaints are made about camp conditions they are being threatened with transfer to other areas. The refugees are expected to sign a document on arrival stating that they are entering camps at their free will. The security forces have refused permission to many refugees to go to southern Sri Lanka or to settle in areas of their choice in Vavuniya. The district Army commander Tissa Jayawardena says that only Vavuniya residents are permitted to resettle in the district.