Valaichchenai refugees starve without relief

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 07 August 2002, 19:53 GMT]
More than four hundred families living at Valaichchenai refugee camp in the Batticaloa district undergo untold hardships in running their day-to-day lives, as they have not been provided with dry rations for the last two months.

Refugee camp in Valaichenai, 32 km. North of Batticaloa. (Photo:TamilNet)

Every six months, the Divisional Secretary distributes food stamps for dry rations to these displaced. This year, new stamps have not been distributed to these families.

The Divisional Secretary of the area Mr.S.Punnyamoorthy told reporters, "I have not received food stamps from the Colombo authorities. I do not know the reason."

A resident of the Valaichchenai refugee camp, Rajan Krishnan, said, "we live solely on the free dry rations supplied by the government, as we have no permanent employment."

One member family receives dry rations for a sum of Rs 336/-, 2 member family Rs 616/=, three member family Rs: 840/=, four member family Rs 1008/= and five member and above Rs 1260/=