Controversy over ICRC employees giving tractors to Sinhala people in North

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 27 October 2010, 08:43 GMT]
The Governor of Northern Province, Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, the former Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander of Jaffna district, has ordered SLA intelligence officers to probe into the allegation that ICRC employees in North had issued some of the two-wheel land master vehicles meant for the war affected farmers in the North to Sinhala men, sources in Jaffna said. But it is alleged that the Governor himself had instructed the employees to give the vehicles to Sinhala men. Meanwhile, the Governor is said to be very upset about photos appearing in various local and international websites and media showing the Chief of ICRC in the North shedding tears in the vicinity of a refugee camp and the inquiry launched by him is a but ploy to get hold of the persons who had sent the said photos to the media, the sources added.

SLA, instructed by Chandrasiri, is conducting inquires to find out the sources from which the photos and other information had been disseminated.

The Governor has also ordered to find the persons who had sent photographs taken in Vanni during the war. Some of them had appeared in the local dailies.

Meanwhile, ICRC representatives in the North had sent a report on the controversy to their head office in Colombo, the sources said.