Sri Lanka: IMF approves further $328 million

Ignoring calls from the Washington-based Human Rights Watch to tie the granting of further money to the Sri Lankan government to demands such as resettling the more than 250,000 Tamils imprisoned in detention camps, the International Monetary Fund has granted the regime a further $329.4 million.

A November 6 AFP report said the money is the second part of a $658.8 million loan intended to help Sri Lanka weather the global financial crisis.

As well as the hundreds of thousands of Tamils held behind barbed wire in the camps, Tamilnet.com said on November 17 that 600 Tamil political prisoners are still held in Magazine prison under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and Emergency Regulations without any inquiry or indictment against them in law courts.

From GLW issue 819