Colombo aggravates humanitarian crisis in NorthEast – NGO forum head

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 August 2006, 15:32 GMT]
Head of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) forum in Kilinochchi, Mr Ganesapillai, speaking at a press conference Wednesday accused the Sri Lankan government of deliberately blocking food and other supplies to civilians living in Vanni and Jaffna. "The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) is not allowing supply vehicles to pass through the check posts located at the entry points to the Vanni region. Governments agents for Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu have requested the GOSL to instruct the SLA to open the roads so that all supplies can pass through to civilians in Vanni and Jaffna but the Colombo Government has been withholding issueing such directive," said Mr.Ganesapillai.

Residents are facing shortages of food, medicine, milk powder and other essential supplies. The GOSL is trying to starve the civilians, Ganesapillai said.

More than 21000 recently displaced civilians living in LTTE-controlled Vanni are short of relief supplies as the GOSL has blocked supplies to the districts, he added.

During the current clashes, SLA fired rockets into residential areas in LTTE-controlled Palai forcing most residents to flee to Kandavalai further south. Pallikuda residents living along the LTTE-controlled coastal areas in Pooneryn fled to the interior of Vanni as SLA fired artillery shells began hitting residential areas, the NGO forum head said.

Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) and its volunteers are providing the basic necessities and looking after the internally displaced residents mitigating the unfolding humanitarian crisis, he further said.

The NGO forum head appealed to the Tamil Diaspora to provide the urgent financial support to the local humanitarian agencies, particularly the TRO, to enable these organizations to provide the urgent help to the needs of the displaced.