Protests from the whole caboodle of INGOs and NGOs against the Vanni offensive and the government's order that they shift to Vavuniya stemmed more from a fear of being exposed for their sordid operations than from a genuine concern for civilians. Now that more and more areas where many INGOs had been operating for about two decades are being cleared, damning evidence is surfacing that they had done precious little for people. They poured billions of rupees and moved hundreds of vehicles into those areas claiming to improve the people's lot. But, where has all the money gone? Dirt tracks and tumbled down buildings bear testimony to the fact that INGO and NGO funds did reach anywhere but the grassroots.

The billion rupees question is: What were the worthy members of the victim industry doing in that terrain for so long busting so much of money?Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has asked the captains of the victim industry to explain what they had been doing in the Vanni before their recent exit. He has suggested that those outfits, save the UN agencies and the ICRC, be thrown out of the country. One may agree with him but let no attempt be made to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Sri Lanka’s representative Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the President, was yesterday (19) elected Chairman of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Committee of ESCAP – the Economic & Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

The unanimous election took place at the ESCAP meeting in Bangkok which opened Tuesday (18) bringing together ICT experts and policy makers from governments, the academia, UN and other international agencies, and the private sector.

This election signals the view in ESCAP of Sri Lanka’s considerable progress in ICT development, where computer literacy has increased from 5 per cent to nearly 25 per cent in the past three years, with the emphasis placed on ICT development by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The ICT Committee of ESCAP monitors the progress made at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) for Asia and the Pacific.

The statement by Amnesty International (AI) issued on Wednesday, 19 November, entitled “Sri Lankan Government Must Act Now to Protect 300,000 Displaced” is unfortunately yet another attempt to distort the factual situation pertaining to the conditions in which civilians in the north of Sri Lanka find themselves at present.

Regrettably, AI has failed to present an objective analysis of the challenges and successes of the Sri Lankan Government in addressing the needs of Sri Lankan persons affected by the conflict. The AI account is littered with misleading innuendo compounded by outright falsehood and, upon a holistic reading of their report, it becomes clear that the intent of the report is to present a skewed picture unfavourable to the lawfully elected and popularly mandated Government of Sri Lanka.

The Sri Lanka Government categorically rejects the assertion made by Amnesty International (AI) in its latest report that it is carrying out a policy of blocking humanitarian aid needed for the people at present displaced in the Wanni region, states a spokesman for the Presidential Secretariat.

It is correct that a large proportion of the civilian population of the Wanni region who live in locations still controlled by the terrorists of the LTTE are undergoing considerable hardship and suffering due to the rigid policies of the LTTE of preventing the free movement of civilians and making use of them as human shields against the advancing forces of humanitarian liberation of the Sri Lanka Government.

The Government is fully aware of the numbers of persons who need assistance and it is satisfied that the maximum assistance is being provided to these people, under the prevailing conditions, especially the difficulties caused by the intransigence and brutality of the LTTE, with regard to the very people it claims to represent and allegedly liberate.