Stranded displaced to fast in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 February 1999, 17:49 GMT]
Displaced people from Jaffna who are stranded in Vavuniya launched a one day fasting campaign opposite the Government Agent's Office today urging officials to make arrangements for a passenger ship to take them back to their homes in the peninsula.

Y,Shanthirakumar the president for the Committee of the welfare of the Jaffna displaced said that 348 people who were living outside Vavuniya's refugee camps were asked to go to the Goodshed Road welfare centre to be sent to Jaffna on December 21 last year.

"But still the ship is not arranged for our travel" he said.

Most of the people who went to the transit camp had left their rented out houses, gave up their jobs and children were removed from schools, they said.

Government officials said that over 600 persons are waiting for ship to go to Jaffna.

They added that their attempts to make arrangements to convene ship facilities for these people were not succesful.

However Y.Shanthirakumar said that the displaced have decided to launch a rotation fasting campaign from next Monday, if their demand is not fulfilled before that.

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