[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 711 Engrossed in House (EH)]

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 
        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 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 power, improving human rights, and increasing 
        accountability.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.