Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, contacted for his comment yesterday confirmed that the UN would withdraw in keeping with the government order. He said the United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in Colombo, Neil Buhne had reiterated the UN decision to leave the LTTE-held areas.

There was absolutely no dispute over their withdrawal, the Minister said. The INGOs and NGOs would continue to engage in relief operations through the existing government machinery in the Vanni region, he said.

Buhne has ruled out the possibility of INGOs and NGOs remaining in the LTTE-held area in contravention of the Defence Ministry directive.

The military said the withdrawal of the INGOs, besides a move to ensure the safety of the international aid workers and their local staff, was part of the government strategy to sever direct links between the LTTE and the international community. Earlier, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa banned foreign representatives from travelling beyond the Omanthai entry/exit point for meetings in Kilinochchi. The ban had come into operation long before the government asked the Norwegian-led truce monitoring mission to leave the country.

Samarasinghe said that the ICRC would continue to remain on the other side of the Omanthai entry/exit point to facilitate civilian movement and also to transfer bodies of combatants.

In August, the ICRC facilitated the passage of about 16,500 civilians and 2,500 vehicles across the entry/exit point. It also facilitated the transfer of about 680 patients and bodies of 62 combatants. The ICRC also visits people held by both parties to the conflict.