World Refugee Day held in Trincomalee welfare centre

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 June 2004, 00:46 GMT]
The World Refugee Day (WRD) was celebrated in Trincomalee Sunday morning in the welfare centre at Allesgarden, about three km off north of east port town where about 1665 persons of 437 displaced families live since 1993. Trincomalee district head of the UNHCR Ms Brita Helleland made the introductory speech at the event. This year theme of the WRD is "A place to call home: rebuilding lives in safety and dignity," UNHCR sources said.

UNHCR Trincomalee zonal head Ms Brita Helleland speaking in the programme at Allesgarden welfare centre

About four thousand persons from about 650 displaced families are currently given shelter in ten refugee camps and welfare centres in the Trincomalee district, said UNHCR Trincomalee head Ms Brita Helleland.

She added about twenty thousand refugees and internally displaced people (IDP) are living with their friends and relatives in the Trincomalee district.

Children of Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese refugees in the district participated in the World Refugee day cultural programme held at Maathumai Government Tamil School located in the Allesgarden welfare centre premises for the children of displaced and refugees, sources said.

Refugees and IDPs from the welfare centres of Mahadiulwewa, Love Lane and Nilaveli attended the WRD programme.

World Refugees Day banner in the Allesgarden welfare centre

Refugee students in Allesgarden Maathumai School, Love Lane School, Morawewa South School, White Pigeon Institute, Kinniya Vision, Aham, and CPA and Sathi organizations staged plays on IDPs, refugees and about their resettlement.

In another building of the school, information desks of the international and local non-governmental organizations, such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR, ICRC, Sri Lanka red Cross, Save the Children Fund, Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, Oxfam Trincomalee Islamic Development Organization, Eastern Rehabilitation Organization, Consortium for Humanitarian Agencies, Sarvodhaya, Sewa Lanka, Peace Community Action, Danish Refugees Council, Legal Aid Foundation and Society for Socio-Economic development (SSED) were kept opened for the day to provide information to IDPs and refugees who attended the WRD, sources said.




Section of the refugee children attending WRD cultural programme

Sinhalese refugee children performing a play promoting national harmony

Refugee children in Allesgarden welfare centre

Winning photograph taken in a Trincomalee refugee centre

School building where WRD event was held

Morning lessons for refugee children



External Links:

UN:

World Refugee Day