July 10, Colombo: U.N. agencies and NGOs have observed a significant improvement in humanitarian access to IDP sites in Sri Lanka's North, as well as a decreased military presence inside the camps, a recent report released by the UNHCR said.

According to a July 7 UNHCR report, the improved access has allowed more effective implementation of activities to address the needs of the Internally Displaced Persons.

However, the UNHCR report says, freedom of movement remains the overriding issue with nearly 280,000 IDPs confined within the camps, restricting their ability to access employment, attend regular schools, visit family and friends, and ultimately choose their place of residence.

To date, some 4,300 IDPs, mostly elderly, have been released and the government has announced that another 9,000 have been cleared for release.

According to the U.N. Office of the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator (UNR/HC), as of July 9, the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) continues to provide dry rations including wheat flour, rice, dhal, vegetable oil and sugar to meet the food needs of the over 280,000 newly displaced IDPs in camps.

The reports says that according to the wishes of the residents of the camps individual cooking is replacing the communal cooking which was the earlier method of preparing food.

According to the UNR/HC family reunification efforts are continuing. As of June, the Government reported that local authorities had reunited more than 5,000 family members. The government also continues to authorize the release of vulnerable individuals, including more than 4,000 elderly IDPs and persons with disabilities, to depart from IDP camps.

On July 9, UNR/HC reported that 14 primary health care centers, four referral hospitals, and an unspecified number of mobile health teams currently provide health care services to IDPs in camps. Four hospitals in Vavuniya, Mannar, Cheddikulam and Poovarasankulam provide the majority of inpatient care for IDPs.

Disease surveillance indicates that the number of new cases of Chickenpox and infective hepatitis are decreasing, according to the UNHCR report.

Meanwhile, A USAID report said that the U.S. has approved an additional $6 million for humanitarian demining in key areas of northern Sri Lanka, including Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mannar, and Vavuniya districts to facilitate IDP returns and resettlement to areas of origin.