Battered Komari fears long years in refugee camps

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 January 2005, 10:58 GMT]
Komari is a village settled mostly by families that came to work at a British Royal Air Force runway on Sri Lanka’s remote southeastern coast during World War II. It is a narrow but densely populated promontory sandwiched between a lagoon and the sea. During the Eelam Wars (1983-2002), Komari was ruthlessly controlled like an open prison by the Special Task Force (STF), the elite counter insurgency wing of the Sri Lankan armed forces. Last month the place was literally flattened by the Tsunami. The STF camp in Komari’s midst is now a heap of rubble. “Will we ever get permanent homes?” is the fear echoed by many refugees here who spoke to TamilNet Tuesday.
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Temporarily fixed Eastcoast causeway reopens

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 13:42 GMT]
Transport on the main coastal road between Kalmunai and Batticaloa resumed Monday, almost a month after the Tsunami ripped off sections of two causeways in Kallar, 28 kilometres south of the eastern town. The main gap in the Ondaatchi Madam-koddaikallar Causeway was spanned by a temporary bridge by the Road Development Authority (RDA). “The Sri Lankan government has to come up with big money to really repair this causeway. Otherwise this vital part of our district’s infrastructure would be damaged permanently”, an RDA engineer in Batticaloa told TamilNet.
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Amparai undergrads receive financial support

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 12:30 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) provided financial aid to fifty nine undergraduate students from Amparai district attending Peradeniya, Jaffna and Eastern Universities who were affected by the tsunami disasater in an event held at TRO officies in Thirukovil Monday 10 am, sources from the eastern district said.
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Don't include LTTE in post-tsunami rebuilding effort - JVP

[TamilNet, Monday, 24 January 2005, 05:36 GMT]
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a major coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Freedom Alliance government and a self styled radical marxist party that draws on Sinhala nationalist sentiments to augment its popularity, has expressed its strong opposition to the government's bid to include the Liberation Tigers in the post-tsunami relief, reconstruction and rehabilitation process using the outpouring international aid resources.
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"Loss of children has shaken us"- Thamilini

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 January 2005, 06:45 GMT]
"When we lose cadres in battles we strengthen our will to hit back at the enemy. The Tsunami losses are different, especially the loss of children has shaken us deeply. I have seen mothers carrying dead babies in their hands who refuse to accept that they are dead. They continued to kiss and caress them as if they were alive. This has been a difficult time for us," said Ms. Thamilini, the head of the LTTE’s women political wing talking to TamilNet correspondent in Amparai after the Tsunami disaster.
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Dire need for long-term psychological counseling- Fr.Karunaratnam

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 January 2005, 03:18 GMT]
Rev.Fr.M.X. Karunaratnam, head of the NorthEast Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR), was recently appointed as chairman to lead an effort to provide psychological support for those in the NorthEast affected by the tsunami. Father Karunaratnam spoke to TamilNet in detail of the task at hand and about the group they have assembled to carryout this task that requires social sensitivity, and a coordinated plan for long-term care and follow-up.
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22 Mullaitivu schools used as Welfare Centers- GA

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 18 January 2005, 12:26 GMT]
Out of the twenty three welfare centers in Mullaitivu district, all except one are located in schools in areas unaffected by the tsunmai, and there is an urgent need to relocate these centers to allow schools to function normally, said Emelda Sukumar, Government Agent of Mullaitivu district when TamilNet talked to her Tuesday.
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Macroeconomic approach should govern reconstruction - Don

[TamilNet, Thursday, 13 January 2005, 00:53 GMT]
Professor V. Nithyanantham of the Dept. of Economics, Jaffna University, talking to TamilNet on the socio-economic setting in NorthEast and problems facing the residents in the post Tsunami period, said that planners should adopt a macro-economic approach to reconstruction taking into account relevant humanitarian and social factors.
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Military intimidation of relief workers escalate in Amparai, Batticaloa - TRO

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 12 January 2005, 08:26 GMT]
The Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) in an urgent press statement issued on Wednesday morning said that the intimidation of relief workers by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) has been escalating in several welfare centres in Batticaloa and Amparai. "The positive relief efforts coordinated by the TRO after the recent devastation are being severely disrupted due to recent STF intervention in the East" said the press release. The organisation said it is in the process of documenting incident reports as they continue to arise.
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USAID funds SLRCS tsunami relief project

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 January 2005, 12:46 GMT]
The US Agency for International AID & Development (USAID) has granted US$ 350,000 to Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) for a Relief and Assistance Project for those affected by the recent Tsunami disaster. This project will focus on four components -Cleaning the environment and removal of debris, distribution of Non Food Relief Items (NFRI), Increase Health Awareness regarding water and vector borne diseases and re-establishment of livelihood, states Mr Harasha Gunawardene, Director Communications of the SLRC.
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Kumaratunga appoints EPDP to tsunami Task Force

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 11 January 2005, 02:23 GMT]
Representatives of the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) have been appointed to the District Task Force (DTF) established in Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Amparai districts to coordinate relief and rehabilitation of tsunami victims who are sheltered in welfare centers, on a directive from Sri Lanka’s President, Ms.Chandrika Kumaratunga, civil sources said.
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Colombo tries to shift blame on mishandling Annan's itinerary

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 January 2005, 23:47 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry in a statement issued on Sunday tried to shift the blame on mishandling itinerary of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's visit, which sparked controversy that Colombo blocked him from visiting LTTE-controlled areas in the Northeast to witness the devastating tsunami destruction. The Foreign Ministry said that the final itinerary was drawn only after the government authorities and UNDP's Resident Representative's Office reached an agreement in Colombo.
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Bishop praises TRO, Tamil expatriate relief efforts

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 January 2005, 13:37 GMT]
Bishop Joseph Kingsley Swampillai, bishop of Batticaloa-Amparai district, expressed his appreciation for the relief efforts carried out by the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) and the support given by the Tamil diaspora in meeting the immediate and urgent needs of the victims of disaster, in an interview with TamilNet Sunday.
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Vanni TNA MPs oppose army take over of refugee camps

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2005, 11:00 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Vanni district parliamentarians vehemently protested against the directive of the President to hand over the management of welfare centres where Tsunami victims are sheltered to the State armed forces at a conference held at the Vavuniya district secretariat Thursday with Mr.Tyronne Fernando, North east Provincial Governor in the chair, sources said.
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Sri Lanka Armed Forces take over refuges, harass TRO

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 07:30 GMT]
In a sudden move, the Sri Lankan Armed Forces are manning the refugee camps in Amparai, Batticaloa and Trincomalee since Tuesday. The Special Task Force (STF) in Thirukovil, Amparai have hijacked two tractors of TRO relief supplies and distributed them after removing the TRO labels. "The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Special Task Force (STF) have stepped up their harassment of workers of the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO)", Mr.K.P.Reggie, Executive Director of the TRO, told TamilNet on Wednesday. The TRO has called for an urgent Press Conference today at 6pm at its Colombo office.
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Sri Lanka's death toll rises to 30,229 amidst pouring relief assistance

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 18:16 GMT]
Sri Lanka's official death toll aftermath of the tsunami disaster today rose to 30,229 with over 3,500 people still missing, amidst pouring international relief and rescue assistance in terms of man and materials. According to the Social Services Ministry statistics, Amparai district was the worst hit area with 10436 deaths.
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PDS sends Australian and Korean doctors to the East

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 12:46 GMT]
Two teams of doctors who arrived in Kilinochchi on Monday from Australia and Korea have set off to the East. On Monday, Tamil Eelam Health Service (TEHS) in the East issued an urgent warning as heavy rains in Batticaloa-Amparai have increased the danger of infectious diseases. The medical teams were briefed by the Planning and Development Secretariat (PDS) on the ground situation in the East.
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LTTE urges aid for Amparai as fighters conduct relief operations

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 07:24 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers‚ warned Monday that the recent heavy flooding in the Amparai district has exacerbated the risk of disease by dislodging bodies of victims of the Asian tsunami disaster. The Tigers' top commander in the region, Col. Banu, who crossed into Sri Lanka Army controlled territory with a section of of LTTE troops, is coordinating rescue and relief efforts in the multi-ethnic region, the LTTE's Centre for Emergency Assessment in Kalavanchykuddy said in press release Monday.


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Donate liberally towards the relief efforts in the Northeast- CHC

[TamilNet, Monday, 03 January 2005, 23:34 GMT]
The Centre for Health Care (CHC), an NGO based in Kilinochchi, said that sufficient professionals, needed by the organisation for the moment, have already arrived in Northeast. Sources at CHC told TamilNet that they have urged the International community to donate liberally towards the relief efforts. More health professionals will be needed later when communicable diseases tend to break, the sources added. CHC have urged other medical professionals who wish to come to the North-East from around the world to arrive during the later part of next month.
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Destroyed bridges, causeways compound relief crisis in east

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 January 2005, 07:40 GMT]
The Sunday Tsunami has left the main road network of the east and southeast coast of Sri Lanka in tatters, leaving many areas still marooned and hindering relief and rescue work, Col. Bhanu, a senior commander of the Liberation Tigers who is directing urgent humanitarian operations in the region, told TamilNet Saturday. He deplored that helicopters are being used to show Sri Lankan government leaders the disaster in the east and to take photos.
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