More on the Muttur Incident

Additional information following the execution of 17 national staff members in Sri Lanka:

• Photos and names of the victims.
• Action Against Hunger press conference and statement.
• Joint statement by international NGOs working in Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lankan government press release about the investigation.

During the past two years, hostility and suspicion toward humanitarian NGOs operating in Sri Lanka has increased. This can be tied directly to shortcomings of tsunami relief efforts, accusations of corruption, and hardliner opinions that NGOs were providing too much support for the LTTE, thus threatening national security.

As the conflict continues to escalate and jeopardize humanitarian efforts throughout the country, it's critical for NGO senior managers to take a honest look at whether organizational decisions and actions helped to contribute to the current level of insecurity. And what, if anything, could be done differently to prevent the same thing from happening again elsewhere.