TNA slams NE Governor’s visit to Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 02 February 2005, 07:20 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance Wednesday boycotted a meeting with Governor of the Northeast Province, Mr. Tyronne Fernando, at the Vavuniya district secretariat in protest against what the TNA described as “gross discrimination by the Sri Lankan state in delivering Tsunami aid to Tamil and Muslim areas affected by the disaster”. At the meeting, Government Agents for Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu informed the Governor that no heavy machinery for clearing Tsunami destruction was sent to their districts.



They were responding to the Governor’s claim that all heavy machinery required for work in the areas hit by the Tsunami had already been sent to Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu.

Officials said that the meeting was mostly about providing the Governor information about the current state of post tsunami rehabilitation work in the north.

“He just gathered details about the situation. Nothing concrete happened”, a senior official who was at the meeting told TamilNet.

“We condemn the Governor’s visit. It is a sham to cover up the fact that the Sri Lankan government is flagrantly neglecting the northeast in providing Tsunami disaster relief. This is his second visit. Nothing that was promised at the time was delivered. The Kumaratunga government is only interested in duping the world that it trying to do something for the Tamil and Muslim people. We do not want to be unwitting pawns in this game by attending the such sham meetings”, said Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, Tamil National Alliance MP for Vanni.

Government Agent for Kilinochchi, Mr. T. Rasanayagam, GA Mullaithivu, Ms. Imelda Sukumar, Additional GA for Jaffna, Mr. A. Sivasamy and GA Vavuniya, Mr. S. Shanmugam took part in the meeting with the governor Wednesday morning.

Sri Lankan armed forces commander for Vanni, Maj. Gen. Parami Kulatunga and Senior Superintendent of Police (Vanni Range) Mr. D. Miskin were also present.