Denmark donates water purification units to TRO

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 January 2005, 14:30 GMT]
Mr.Michael Sternberg, Ambassador of Denmark who is on a two day visit to Trincomalee district Thursday donated ten water purification units to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) to clean all wells in the Tsunami affected coastal villages. The Government of Denmark also provided four technicians to train about ten volunteers of the TRO in handling the water purification units, sources said.


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Expatriate Tamils urge Kofi Annan to visit Mullaithivu

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 January 2005, 12:16 GMT]
International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of expatriate Tamil organizations based in Geneva Switzerland has appealed to the United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to include in his itinerary a visit to the tsunami ravaged region of Mullaithivu in NorthEast of Sri Lanka, in a letter sent to the UN offices through the UNDP office in Colombo.
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US military presence will not affect Peace Process - Colin Powell

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 January 2005, 11:40 GMT]
Pledging USD 25 million for immediate relief and reconstruction of Sri Lanka, US Secretaryof State Colin Powell said in a press briefing held at the runway at the Katunayake Air Force Base, Colombo, that US military presence will not affect the ongoing peace process. Responding to a question about how long the US military would stay, he said they would remain long as it is required by the Sri lankan government and would ensure that the reconstruction and rehabilitation work is complete.


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"Tamil people will resist SLA takeover of Welfare Centers" -Colonel Soosai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2005, 19:32 GMT]
''Our people will not accept the directive issued by Sri Lanka's President to hand over the management of Tsunami welfare centres in the government controlled areas in the northeast to the Sri Lanka Army,'' a defiant Colonel Soosai, Special Commander of the Sea Tigers, said at a conference held Thursday at the relief co-ordination office at Puththukattu junction area, sources said.


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Tsunami victims flee as SLA moves into Trinco welfare centres

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2005, 16:19 GMT]
Hundreds of Tsunami victims fled from welfare centres in the Sri Lanka government controlled areas in the Trincomalee district when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers carrying weapons entered the welfare centres to take over the management Thursday on a directive by Sri Lanka's President Ms Chandrika Kumaratunge, several volunteers said.


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TRO initiates trauma counseling project for tsunami affected

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2005, 14:02 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in collaboration with the North East Provincial Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports and Youth Affairs has launched a project to provide trauma counseling to students and others who are affected by the Tsunami disaster, TRO sources in Kilinochchi said.
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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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Security Forces continue to obstruct NorthEast relief effort- TRO

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 20:42 GMT]
"The Government of Sri Lanka has permitted Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) to engage in rehabilitation and reconstruction work in LTTE controlled as well as military controlled areas of the northeast. But the Special Task Force (STF) is acting as an obstacle to our mission. In Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Thirukovil, the STF personnel grabbed relief supplies from us and diverted them to other refugee camps of their choice," said Mr. K P Reggie, Executive Director of TRO, at the press conference in Colombo on Wednesday evening.
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TNA decries SLA's taking over of NorthEast Welfare camps

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 16:09 GMT]
"The Armed Forces taking over the management of the Welfare Camps in the Northeast would be counterproductive and would destabilize all arrangements hitherto made at the district level in the Northeast to address the several consequences of the calamity," said Mr. Sampanthan, Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian in a letter addressed to the Sri Lanka President requesting her to rescind the order given to the Armed Forces to take over the management of the Welfare Camps in the Northeast.


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Kofi Annan to visit Mullaitivu and other affected areas

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 10:58 GMT]
United Nation's Secretary General Koffi Annan will visit 'some of the hardest hit areas' in Sri Lanka when he visits the country on Friday, UN sources said Wednesday. Foreign ministry sources said Koffi Annan will visit Ampara, Galle, Hambantatota and Mullaitivu, areas worst hit by the tsunami waves on December 26.
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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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Rebuilding bridges, roads key to swift recovery- Gajendran

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 05:15 GMT]
Speaking to TamilNet after visiting Batticaloa and Ampara Districts, Tamil National Alliance, Jaffna District MP Mr.Selvarajah Gajendran said: "LTTE has the capability to build bridges and lay roads. I request the international community to provide them with equipment and materials through NGOs so that recovery can be swift."
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Welfare of Displaced poses new challenges- TRO

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 02:34 GMT]
Most of the residents from coastal villages who have been affected by Tsunami on 26 December are now in Welfare Centres setup in schools, temples, churches and other public places. The Government of Sri Lanka and other International donor community should urgently assess the future needs of the newly displaced and provide the assistance necessary to look after the welfare of the displaced, officials of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) said.
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100,000 Children distressed, 3000 orphaned- TRO

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 05 January 2005, 01:22 GMT]
Out of the 100,000 or more families from the villages destroyed in the North and East by the Tsunami disaster, 3000 children have lost one or both parents, TRO officials said.


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PDS gears for phase two & three of tsunami relief in Northeast

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 16:45 GMT]
"The LTTE with its quick deployment ability and the Tamils Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) with generous assistance from the Tamil Diaspora and the international NGOs, are tackling the immediate Tsunami relief needs, the first phase of the relief efforts. The Liberation Tigers are calling for international assistance to meet phase two and three of the relief effort", LTTE's Political Head Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan told TamilNet following a conference with Norwegian Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Mr Hans Brattskar, in Killinochchi where they discussed the proper channeling of aid to northeast for phase two and three of Tsunami relief as being planned by PDS.
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TRO to provide Specialized Maintenance Centers

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 15:18 GMT]
Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), an NGO registered with Government of Sri Lanka and working exclusively in the NorthEast, is preparing to provide specialized centres to cater to the unique needs of the various groups- injured, frail, expectant or nursing mothers, emotionally traumatized and children under 5 years. A special maintenance centre will be provided as and when a need arises, TRO spokesperson said.


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Thamilchelvan calls for end to fraudulent reports

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 13:47 GMT]
Denying rumours that the LTTE had burnt refuges or that aid had been stolen or incorrectly distributed, the head of the Liberation Tigers political wing, Mr S.P. Thamilchelvan, called on all media organisations to visit the affected areas and verify the fact for themselves before publishing unverified stories.
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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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Project to resurrect Mullaitivu fishing industry planned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 11:27 GMT]
The Economic Consultancy House (TECH), a Non Governmental Organization that promotes socio-economic and technological development, and registered with the Government of Srilanka, has issued a project plan costing nearly Rs2 billion, to assist the more than 5700 fishing families in Mullaitivu district affected by the tsunami disaster to return to their traditional trade, TECH officials told TamilNet.
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Thamilchelvan receives first consignment of Italian relief

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 04 January 2005, 09:02 GMT]
Italian Foreign Ministry Tuesday handed over a consignment of medical equipments, medicines and tents for temporary shelters to Mr. S. P. Thamilchelvan to be distributed through the rescue and relief mechanism that have been set up in Tamil areas. Thanking the Italian government and the Italian people for the kind gesture of humanitarian at a time of distress, Thamilchelvan explained to the officials how the rescue and relief operations are being conducted.
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