No more is it 'sorry, no comment'

By Feizal Samath

The International Committee of The Red Cross (ICRC), which opened an office in Sri Lanka nine years ago, is often viewed with suspicion by the public in view of the nature of its work, which means liaising with Tamil separatist rebels in addition to contacts with government officials.

During its early years in Colombo, local media were among those who questioned the credentials of the humanitarian organisation, that protects civilians in armed conflict, saying it could be helping - like the allegations made against some other non-governmental agencies - the rebels. The fact that its work had to be mostly of a confidential nature, did little to counter such suspicion. But in recent years, ICRC - like many other international agencies - is opening its doors to the media, including having a specialist information officer, and these efforts have helped to improve its image.

"Actually it does not mean giving out more information on confidential matters but what we felt had to be done was to make sure our mandate, our role in Sri Lanka in general was explained to the press rather than saying- "No, we have no comment ..all the time," explained Max Hadorn, head of ICRC's Sri Lanka's operations. Hadorn told this correspondent in an interview that he believed there was a growing tendency amongst international agencies to be more accessible to the media. In Sri Lanka, the International Monetary Fund - normally reluctant to dole out information — is also making it easier for journalists to get interviews with its Colombo representative.

"We have realised that public information is essential in whatever you may do, otherwise it (your silence) could create the wrong signals. Perhaps it would help to prevent controversies," Hadorn said.

ICRC, since 1989 at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government, has been active in conflict areas carrying out its traditional role as protector of civilians. It is involved in the protection of detainees, re-establishing family ties, assisting civilian population, disseminating rules of behaviour in combat and acting as a neutral intermediary.

The war has claimed the lives of up to 50,000 people - both combatants and civilians. The ICRC has close contacts with the government and the rebels. Its contacts with the rebels are misconstrued, often at times when the rebels and government forces are engaged in pitched battles. "It is like pouring water on a duck's back," a journalist colleague wryly commented, some years back, after he tried to find out the fate of civilians, trapped in a battle zone, from the ICRC. Things are changing now, and Hadorn says that sometimes when he is unable to comment on any particular issue, it doesn't create too much of frustration (amongst journalists) " because I am sure that it is understood."

"There are people who, when we talk to the press, are frustrated with our rule of confidentiality. It is understandable. But by being accessible it gives us a chance to be understood - the nature of our work."

ICRC's work in Sri Lanka is mostly of a protective nature - visiting detainees, protecting the civilian population and facilitating the release of prisoners. "What is of vital importance is the dialogue we have with the authorities, the rebels. Dialogue has to remain confidential. The aim is to be as frank as possible without any controversies," Hadorn said

In July last year, the ICRC intervened when the rebels seized a Korean ship and its 38-member crew that was carrying Sri Lankan government cargo off the northwestern coast of Mannar. One Korean officer was killed when the rebels stormed the ship on July 8 and the body was handed to ICRC authorities, which also successfully secured the release of the crew. The ship was later handed over to the crew following ICRC efforts. Two other crew of an Indonesian ship which was set on fire by the rebels in the same month, were also handed over to ICRC officials. Last November, 20 villagers who were captured by the rebels from eastern villages were released under ICRC auspices.

The rebels are said to hold 22 Sri Lankan securitymen from the navy and the army and five civilians who are crew of another ship that was attacked by the rebels -all since1994. On the government side, there are about 1,500 detainees held in local jails. ICRC visits detainees on both sides and ensures that they are in contact with their families - like writing a Red Cross message to the next of kin to say they are alive. ICRC officials also ensure the prisoners are looked after according to humanitarian principles and that the conditions of detention are according to such principles. 'The dialogue we have with authorities from both sides, particularly in caring for prisoners, is of a confidential nature for obvious reasons. This is the type of information that we cannot make public. We have to make sure that basic rules are respected by both sides," Hadorn said.

The organisation's main activities outside the protection field in the north - where most of the fighting takes place - are relief work in assisting internally displaced people and providing them with shelter material, cooking pots, blankets and clothing. "We follow civilians (living in war-torn areas) wherever they go," Hadorn said. There has been intense fighting in the Wanni region in northern Sri Lanka in the past 12 months with government forces trying to regain control of a key highway that runs from the south to the northern-most town of Jaffna. The southern sector and Jaffna are both controlled by the army but some stretches of the road in between are no-man's land and government forces are struggling to occupy it permanently. Thousands of combatants from both sides have been killed or injured in some of the fiercest battles seen in the 15-year-old conflict.

Hadorn said the ICRC's office at Mallavi, in the northern area and among 12 offices it has across the war zone, has many civilians who have moved from areas in the war-affected Wanni region. ICRC also abandoned its office in Kilinochchi last year, which government troops are occupying after pitched battles, and moved to Mallavi.

"When government forces started advancing towards Kilinochchi and conditions were not conducive to stay, we moved further south to Mallavi which is reasonably far away from the main war front and there is high density of population, a lot of displaced people and many other relief agencies," the ICRC official said. Mallavi, a hitherto unknown town, has now become a large transit base for displaced people and the ICRC's main centre of operations in the north. Hadorn said the ICRC earlier gave protection to government boats carrying food cargo from the capital, Colombo to Jaffna, then under rebel control. After this key town was captured by government forces in 1995, its role as facilitator of cargo ended.

It however still maintains a boat link between Trincomalee in the east and Jaffna, transporting medicines and seriously-ill patients to Colombo for treatment that is unavailable in Jaffna.

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