In its report, the Amnesty International claims, "Armed groups, some identified as part of a breakaway group of Tamil Tigers known as the Karuna faction, are infiltrating camps for newly displaced people and abducting residents, according to sources known to Amnesty International".

Armed grouos in IDP camps

According to government officials and the relief organisations in the area,thousands of people have been fleeing their homes after intense fighting in the eastern regions of Trincomalee and Batticaloa over the weekend, pushing the number of displaced people to well over 120,000.

Amnesty report draws concern on the activities of the Karuna group;"We are hearing reports of armed men, wearing the uniforms of the Karuna faction, roaming the camps and even distributing relief goods," said Purna Sen, Asia Pacific Direct at Amnesty International.

"The Karuna faction appears to operate throughout Batticaloa town with the complicity of the Sri Lankan authorities."

'Campagn against government'

The government denies the allegations saying the current campaign by human rights organisations is timed for the UN Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva. "This is the campaign promoted by LTTE sympathisers", say Minister Rambukwella.

The accusations and concern of the Amnesty International echo an earlier complaint made by the leader of the Muslim Congress, Rauf Hakeem.

The report say,"The military action of the Karuna faction in the east has increased violence and displacement. Analysts observe that the Sri Lankan Army tolerates its military camps as the Karuna faction has assisted in the Sri Lankan military campaign against the Tamil Tigers".

According to Amnesty International, "The people who have been forced to flee the fighting are in an extremely vulnerable position: they have left behind their livelihoods and their homes, they may not know the area and they are likely to be very scared. The government has a responsibility to ensure that camps are safe and civilian in nature -- it is unacceptable for men with guns to be wandering around as if they're in control."

Military standing by

Focusing on a particular which occured recently in Batticaloa, "In one previously unreported incident on 9 March, a 15-year-old boy was approached by a white van as he waited for a bus at a temple near an IDP camp. Armed men tried to pull him into the van, but his struggling and screams attracted a crowd and the abductors fled. A witness said members of the Sri Lankan army watched the incident but did not step in to help the boy".

"Incidents with white vans are more of psycological thing. It relates to the memories of a different era. Yet, if these incidents are reported to us, it is the resposibility of the police to investigate them." says minister Rambukwella.

"As the fighting continues, we fear even more people will be forced to seek protection in the camps -- and basic necessities like food and water will be stretched even further," said Purna Sen. "The government must act now to ensure supplies can meet the increasing demand."

The reporters from the area, say the sanitary conditions of the refugees is a main concern as the numbers are increasing at a rate that is difficult to manage.