Sri Lankan refugees allowed to leave camps

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan civilians held at military-run camps during the government's war with Tamil rebels are now being released, officials say.

The camps, located in former rebel-held territory in the country's north, hold about 130,000 people who fled from the fighting. But critics say many of them were being held against their will and are still suffering under freedom-restricting provisions even with the releases, the BBC reported Tuesday.

With the defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the end of the war on May 19, the camp's residents are reportedly being released. The commander of the biggest camp, Menik Farm, told the British broadcaster people are free to leave, but, he added, they must continue to report back so that they can be monitored for rebel ties.

Maj. Gen. Kamal Gunaratne reportedly said anyone trying to leave permanently would be "tracked down," while aid workers in the devastated region told the BBC the restrictions essentially are turning the camps into open prisons.

The Sri Lankan government has said all the camps will be shut down by the end of January 2010.