Food relief for 55,000

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 1998, 19:10 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Commissioner General of Essential Services, N.Obadage has ordered that food relief assistance be provided to another 55,000 displaced persons in the Vanni area from December 1, the Vavuniya Government Agent, K.Ganesh said today.

This fresh order has been issued following Mr. Obadage's visit last week to the areas controlled by the LTTE.

A total of 60,000 displaced persons belonging to 14,635 families in Kilinochchi district would benefit from the new order.

At present 40,000 persons belonging to 8889 families are issued with relief food assistance there.

In the Mullaithivu district, 60,000 persons of 13,333 families are issued with food relief. This has been increased to 21,952 families, a total number of 90,000 displaced persons.

Meanwhile, in Vavuniya district, a total of 30,000 displaced persons will be issued with food relief assistance. Earlier 25,000 persons belonging to 5556 displaced families were given the assistance.

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

Thousands of displaced people have been staging various demonstrations since the announcement of the relief cuts since. Large processions, signature and 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 Government Agents in Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Mannar and Vavuniya have been requesting the Sri Lankan Government to send a team of officials to assess for themselves the critical situation in the Vanni.

Last week, both N.Obadage, Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES) and chairman of Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority for North (RRAN) and Dr.David Ratnavel, chairman of the Presidential Task Force of Human Disaster Management conducted a two-day visit on a fact finding mission to the Vanni region held by the Liberation Tigers.

The officials returned to Colombo last Friday.

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