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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
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| Sri Lanka refugees 'to be freed' | Sri Lanka refugees 'to be freed' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| The Sri Lankan government says people living in special camps since the end of the conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels will be free to leave next month. | The Sri Lankan government says people living in special camps since the end of the conflict with Tamil Tiger rebels will be free to leave next month. |
| The camps were set up in the north for Tamils fleeing the final stages of the civil war - which ended in May - and still house more than 130,000 people. | The camps were set up in the north for Tamils fleeing the final stages of the civil war - which ended in May - and still house more than 130,000 people. |
| An aide to the president also confirmed a pledge to close the facilities. | An aide to the president also confirmed a pledge to close the facilities. |
| Sri Lanka drew strong international criticism for holding people in the camps against their will. | Sri Lanka drew strong international criticism for holding people in the camps against their will. |
| The special adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brother Basil, made the announcement during a visit to the largest camp, Menik Farm. | The special adviser to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brother Basil, made the announcement during a visit to the largest camp, Menik Farm. |
| Addressing a group of displaced people, he said that from 1 December the camps would no longer be closed sites, and people would be free to visit friends and family. | Addressing a group of displaced people, he said that from 1 December the camps would no longer be closed sites, and people would be free to visit friends and family. |
| He also reiterated the government's pledge to resettle those displaced by the end of January. | He also reiterated the government's pledge to resettle those displaced by the end of January. |
| The camps were hastily built as the military crushed the 25-year Tamil Tiger insurgency earlier this year. | The camps were hastily built as the military crushed the 25-year Tamil Tiger insurgency earlier this year. |
| The refugees have been detained while being screened for possible links with the rebels, and while land in the north is demined and cleared. | The refugees have been detained while being screened for possible links with the rebels, and while land in the north is demined and cleared. |
| The barbed-wire enclosures are run by the military, and many of those displaced had complained about poor food and sanitary conditions. | The barbed-wire enclosures are run by the military, and many of those displaced had complained about poor food and sanitary conditions. |
| The UN, diplomats and charities have complained that the screening process is not transparent. | The UN, diplomats and charities have complained that the screening process is not transparent. |
| The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says the government had been sensitive to the criticism, and within the past month has markedly stepped up the pace of releases from the camps. |