An official Photographer of Digital Camera Reviews, along with a number of journalists and professional photographers from all over the world, were refused entry into the war zone, in Sri Lanka on Tuesday. After persistent pleas permission was granted by the authority to visit the concentration camps, even though deprived of the permission to carry in cameras.

The visit of the journalists and the photographers had coincided with a 2 day visit of the British MPs to the war-torn nation, the latter with a view to hold meetings with the political leaders and the prominent civil society figures on the state of the refugees in the concentration camps as well as of those trapped in the war zone. Des Browne, the former defence minister of the UK was among the elite group.

The reports from the reporter cum photographer of the website, Amy Don revealed the pathetic situation prevailing in the concentration camps, which she said that was totally different from anything that she had come across previously. She also stated that an epidemic outbreak could happen at anytime considering the scorching heat going on in the tropical island.

Another point stressed by Don was the gradually compounding number of the refugees making it to the government area, against the already inadequate rehabilitation arrangements. She hoped, along with the UN, Red Cross and other relief workers that at least the government screening of the refugees concluded at the earliest, to give them an opportunuty to freely attend the distressed.

Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan official who spoke to Don at the time of her retrieving her Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera from the authorities, said that the country was expecting an aid of $ 1 million, the arrival of which would considerably improve the conditions. He also expressed his concerns over the tens of thousands of civilians still believed to be stuck in the war zone.

The civil war between the government forces and the LTTE rebels can be dated back to 1976 when the rebels’ supremo V. Prabhakaran founded the outfit as a local guerilla movement with a view to establishing a sovereign Tamil homeland. According to reports, till date more than 75 thousand lives have been taken by the war.

Pic Credit: Reuters

No related posts.