Tsunami relief to northeast inadequate- Chandrasekaran

[TamilNet, Friday, 28 January 2005, 03:46 GMT]
"The distribution of relief to Vanni region by the Sri Lanka government is not satisfactory and urgent needs of the Tsunami affected people are not being met adequately. No responsible government official has visited Jaffna, Vanni and other affected districts in the NorthEast after Tsunami disaster to see the ground situation there," said Mr.P.Chandrasekaran, leader of the Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF) and Nuwara Eliya district parliamentarian addressing the National Mourning Day meeting in Trincomalee esplanade held Wednesday evening.

"I understand that Tsunami relief and rehabilitation works are implemented in the Trincomalee district in selected areas by parties with vested interests thus not looking into the gravity of damages caused by the natural disaster," said Mr.Chandrasekaran.

Tsunami devastation should make the leadership of national level political parties to think of changing their policy towards Tamil speaking people who are still been ignored in the development of their historical homelands in the northeast province even after the natural disaster, said Mr.P.Chandrasekaran.

There is nothing wrong in Tamil speaking people claiming the northeast province as their homeland like every one claiming their own house and properties, Mr.Chandrasekaran.

The discrimination shown by successive governments in Colombo for the last fifty years towards the development of Tamil areas have led to the current political instability of the country. Still a political party in the present government is speaking against including Tamils' representatives in rebuilding the northeast that has been devastated in the Tsunami, said Mr.Chandrasekaran.

Mr.S. Jeyanandamoorthy, Batticaloa TNA parliamentarian said if the government failed to create an administrative authority to rebuild the Tsunami destroyed northeast with the participation of representatives of Tamils, it would provoke serious consequences in the future.

Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian said Tamil people should be firm in the rebuilding their lives and their homelands, which have been destroyed in the Tsunami.

Parliamentarians Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Mr.M.K.Sivajilingam, Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head and several others also spoke.

At the commencement religious dignitaries blessed the event and prayed for the dead in the natural disaster. A schoolgirl lit the common flame of sacrifice for the dead in Trincomalee district. Audience prayed for the dead while holding lighted candles in their hands. A team of the Trincomalee Artistes performed a play paying homage to the dead and appealing to the living to work for their future with confidence. Mr.V.Vigneswaran presided.