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STORY: SRI LANKA / REFUGEES
TRT: 3:06
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: PLEASE CREDIT UNHCR ON SCREEN
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /URDU /NATS
DATELINE: 23 MAY 2019, PASYALA, SRI LANKA
1. Various shots, men and boys in tents in Amadiyya community centre
2. Wide shot, water truck
3. Med shot, man filling water tanks
4. Close up, digging canal around tents
5. Med shot, digging canal around tents
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Waqas, refugee:
“Not one problem: rain problem, no sleeping place properly, no good food.”
7. Various shots, men and boys sleeping in shelters
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Waqas, refugee:
“Animals, they have large snakes, black scorpions; very dangerous; every day we kill snakes, scorpions. This is not a good place, a very scary place. We want to go any other good place, this is not good life; very difficult.”
9. Med shot, tent
10. Med shot, men sitting under tent
11. Wide shot, exterior, building where women are staying
12. Various shots, women and children inside shelter
13. SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Fariha, refugee:
“We are getting assistance, food and water, but we are under immense mental stress, especially survival here is tough for kids. Children face many problems of health and hygiene. There is no peace of mind here for us.”
14. Wide shot, refugees inside shelter
15. Various shots, girl drawing
16. Med shot, boys playing
17. Wide shot, woman washing dishes
18. Med shot, people’s belongings
19. Various shots, woman sewing
20. Pan right, shelter
21. Med shot, baby under mosquito tent
22. Various shots, men and children under tent
23. Close up, girl sleeping on floor
More than a month after a series of bombings in Sri Lanka in April, in which more than 250 people were killed, around a thousand asylum seekers and refugees mostly from Pakistan and Afghanistan still remain displaced from their homes, fearing harassment, protests and threats.
It has been more one month since a series of bombings in Sri Lanka, in which more than 250 people were killed and 500+ injured.
In the days that followed, more than a thousand refugees and asylum seekers, mostly from Pakistan and Afghanistan, were displaced from their homes, facing or fearing harassment, protests, and threats.
They sought shelter and safety in a mosque and police station in Negombo, site of the deadliest attack. UNHCR and the authorities have helped many of these to more suitable places. But the largest group, some 600 people, are staying at an Amadiyya community centre in Pasyala, a town two-hour’s drive from Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo.
Conditions are basic and overcrowded. UNHCR, with partners, has been supporting people here, including providing food, medicines and other necessities. The agency is trucking water in daily to ensure there’s enough water for everyone.
SOUNDBITE (English) Waqas, refugee:
“Not one problem: rain problem, no sleeping place properly, no good food.”
Lack of space means men must spend nights outside, sleeping on wooden pallets in makeshift tents and in an abandoned building. They’ve had to deal with rains, snakes and even scorpions.
SOUNDBITE (English) Waqas, refugee:
“Animals, they have large snakes, black scorpions; very dangerous; every day we kill snakes, scorpions. This is not a good place, a very scary place. We want to go any other good place, this is not good life; very difficult.”
In the main building, more than 300 women and children share two open rooms. There’s no privacy and little space. A few local schools and donors have provided colouring books, crayons and toys to help keep children occupied.
SOUNDBITE (Urdu) Fariha, refugee:
“We are getting assistance, food and water, but we are under immense mental stress, especially survival here is tough for kids. Children face many problems of health and hygiene. There is no peace of mind here for us.”
UNHCR is also working closely with the Sri Lankan authorities to try to find alternative and safe temporary places to move the families. Before the April attacks, people said they felt safe in Sri Lanka. Their hope is to move to a safe place as soon as possible, so they can live in peace.
