Displaced Muttur east families languish in shelters

[TamilNet, Sunday, 07 May 2006, 15:36 GMT]
Tamil families displaced from their houses in the Liberation Tigers held Muttur east in the Trincomalee district following Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), Army (SLA) and Navy (SLN) attacks on April 24 have not returned to their villages through fear, civil society sources said. The displaced families are still staying in temporary shelters and Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) and other local social organizations in the area are providing their day-to-day livelihood assistance, sources said.

Hundreds of families, which fled to several villages in Eachchilampathu division, are now reported returning to Muttur east but not to their houses affected by air strike and gunboat attack by the government troops. Temporary shelters are established in Sampoor and Koonitivu and other areas in Muttur east to accommodate the displaced families until they feel ready to return to their houses, sources said.

These displaced are finding very difficult to obtain medical facilities as Sampoor, Eachchilampathu hospitals in LTTE held areas and Killiveddy hospital in government-controlled area are without doctors. Health facilities are reportedly very poor and people fear of epidemic, source said.

Following the three-pronged attack by sea, air and land nearly forty three thousand members of about ten thousand families from about thirty villages including, Sampoor East, Sampoor West, Koonitivu, Navarathnapuram, Pattalipuram, Nallur, Kaddaiparichchan North, Kaddaiparichchan South, Chenaiyoor and Kadatkaraichchenai fled from their houses and sought refuge under trees, road culvert and other places. TRO and other local organizations immediately organized shelters in six schools in Pattalipuram, Nallur, Ilankatihurai Muhathuwaram, Punniyady, Thangapuram and Sinnakulam.

In addition, about seventeen thousand members of about 4600 families displaced from villages, Menkamam, Kanguvely, Mallikaitivu and Pattithidal in Serunuwara division in the government controlled territory after April 12 violence are also staying temporary shelters in the LTTE held Muttur east. These families are also expressed fear to return to their villagers as surrounding Sinhala villagers are provided with arms by the government, sources said.