Red Cross marks 25 years in Sri Lanka remembering victims of "state abductions"
by Melani Manel Perera
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) calls on the government to implement a programme of state assistance. In the Asian country, the ICRC has dedicated itself to prisoners and communities affected by the civil war.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) calls on the Sri Lankan government to implement as soon as possible a programme of economic, psychological, legal and administrative assistance for the families of those who "disappeared" (at the hands of the authorities) during the country's civil war, this according to the).

The international humanitarian agency celebrated the 25th anniversary of its mission in the Asian country. Its recommendation to the authorities comes from a survey it carried out nation-wide.

During the conflict between the army and Tamil Tiger rebels (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or LTTE), the ICRC focused on helping the people of the northeast, the area most affected by the war.

Since 2009, when fighting ended, the Committee has continued to provide support to these communities by building water supply facilities, installing washrooms in schools, cleaning wells, and, when possible, resettling internally displaced persons.

The ICRC has also cared for prisoners (and not just those from the civil war) by rebuilding or restoring small-scale infrastructures to improve their living conditions.