No relief supplies yet for Muttur displaced

[TamilNet, Sunday, 14 May 2006, 18:57 GMT]
Thousands of Tamil families, displaced due to bombing raids by Sri Lanka Air Force, and artillery attack by ground, naval wings of the State armed forces on April 24 and 25 on coastal villages in the Liberation Tigers controlled Muttur east in the Trincomalee district, have not been provided with dry ration relief as promised by the Government of Sri Lanka even after two weeks, civil society sources said. The displaced families are now sheltered in schools and welfare centers in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division, Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian said Sunday.

In the retaliatory attack on LTTE held Muttur east villages following suicide bomb attack on the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on April 24, fifteen civilians were killed and about 47 wounded in Muttur east.

About forty thousand members of around 11 thousand families from thirty villages fled from their houses and sought refuge in jungles and tree shades. These families are now been accommodated in schools and welfare centers. The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) immediately announced that they would be provided with free dry rations for about a month.

But later the SL Governement announced that it will provide relief for one week at the first instance.

"However no such relief has been provided to these displaced families in the Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division up to now. But people in government-controlled villages in Muttur division have been receiving such relief. The international community should intervene and to ensure that the GOSL distribute the relief assistance to the Muttur east displaced with out discrimination," said Mr.Thurairatnasingham in a statement released Sunday.

Mr. Thurairatnasingham has also pointed out that the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Navy had subjected these displaced Tamil families to artillery fire second time on May 11.