HRW says the detention of IDPs violate international law

The Tamils were displaced by intense fighting during the final months of the government's offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.

“Keeping several hundred thousand civilians who had been caught in the middle of a war penned in these camps is outrageous,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“Haven’t they been through enough? They deserve their freedom, like all other Sri Lankans.”

The Sri Lankan authorities say they do plan to let civilians return home, but must screen them first to identify rebel fighters.

Independent observers are still not allowed inside the camps.

Human Rights Watch says the detentions violate international law.