TELO launches savings project for war-affected students

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 November 2004, 17:04 GMT]
Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Sunday launched a project to assist Tamil medium students affected by the war in Trincomalee district by opening savings accounts in their names in the State run People's Bank, sources from Trincomalee said.

The first batch of thirty-two students selected under the project in the Trincomalee division was distributed with savings bank account books at an event held Sunday at the Trincomalee district office of the TELO.

TELO leader and Vanni district parliamentarian Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan inaugurated the project by handing over savings account books to deserving students. Poet Mr.V.Vigneswaran presided.

The project was started with funds collected in the memory of 53 martyrs massacred in Welikada prison twenty one years ago in the state sponsored July 1983 pogrom, said Mr.Vigneswaran.

He further said the project would be extended to other divisions in the Trincomalee district.

Selvam Adaikalanathan presenting the savings book to a child

Mr Adaikalanathan said that the standard of education of Tamil medium students has gone down in the northeast province due to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Tamil families and several schools following the two decade old war.

He exhorted parents present at the event to instil saving habit in the minds of their children. He said education is the only asset that had helped Tamils in the northeast to stand on firm footing during difficult times.

Mr.S.Thayalan, Secretary of the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Predesiya Sabah, Mr.V.Navaratnam, Principal of Trincomalee Vivekananda College, Mr.K.Kodeeswaran of Peoples Bank and Mr.S. Eelathamilmani of TELO also spoke.