Government officials visit LTTE areas

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 December 1998, 12:50 GMT]
Dr.David Ratnavel, chairman of the Presidential Task Force of Human Disaster Management and N.Obadage, Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES) and chairman of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority for North (RRAN) are on a two-day fact finding mission to the Vanni region controlled by the Liberation Tigers, said government sources in Vavuniya.

The officials are expected to visit various parts of the Vanni to find out the general situation for the people, sources said.

The Government Agents in Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Mannar and Vavuniya have been requesting the Sri Lankan Government to send a team of officials to find out for themselves the critical situation in the Vanni.

The GAs in the Vanni and aid workers have made several appeals to the Sri Lankan Government to take appropriate action.

They have asked that the Government provide sufficient relief food assistance, distribute adequate kerosene and agricultural inputs.

The Government refuses to accept the statistics submitted by the GAs in the Vanni districts and has reduced the quantity of relief food assistance sent to the region.

Last July the Sri Lankan Government introduced severe reduction in the relief food assistance to the displaced people in the Vanni.

Thousands of displaced people in the Vanni have been staging various demonstrations since the announcement of the relief cut.

Massive processions, signature campaigns, fasting campaigns were organised throughout the Vanni. People have also submitted memorandums to the President, Chandrika Kumaratunga, the Secretary General of the United Nations and to diplomatic missions in Colombo.

The fasting campaign is still continuing at Mallavi in front of the office of the UNHCR.

Political sources in Colombo said this is the first visit, by senior officials in charge of government's relief food assistance, resettlement and reconstruction activities, to the Vanni region controlled by the Liberation Tigers.