Following a meeting held at the presidential secretariat with Key Line Ministers, Governor of the North and Provincial council secretaries, Government agents, Divisional Secretaries and security officials, Mr. Basil Rajapakse, President’s Senior Advisor and Member of Parliament, stated on the 17th January that the Government has made all arrangements to provide relief to IDPs coming from Vaunia, Mannar, Mulativu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts.
The Government has organized to set up Refugees welfare centres in Menik Farm I, which has 150 acres, Menik Farm II having 450, and Omanthai 150 acres respectively for IDPs. So far 778 families have been resettled and the Ministry of Resettlement and Disaster Management had already taken steps to make arrangements for 30,000 families, in this regard.
People coming from un-cleared areas into Government controlled areas will be provided with cooked meals, dry rations, drinking water, health and sanitary facilities, electricity, cooking utensils, clothes, infant food and all other essential items. In addition, they will also be provided with a daily allowance of Rs. 100/= for any of their miscellaneous needs
The Government also mentioned they would get the assistance of the relevant ministries, provincial council authorities, divisional secretaries and security officials to facilitate areas of recreation and other amenities for the displaced persons.
The Ministry of Resettlement is coordinating the provision of relief services to the displaced persons through the Government Agents in Vavuniya and a sum of Rs. 30 million has already been allocated to facilitate the purpose, sources said.
With the assistance of the Ministry of health, UNICEF would provide a Hygienic kit to each family and they have also undertaken to provide supplementary food such as UNIMIX and BP, a 100 high energy biscuits, to all children to overcome any form of malnutrition during this time.
The WFP and world Health Organization will be actively involved in expediting this process.
More people are expected to enter Government Controlled areas in the near future. Government is standing by in preparation to provide all relief measures to those coming from uncleared areas.
He also mentioned that the Government has aimed at improving living standards of people in the war torn region than the existing life standards.
He has also directed the zonal Director of Education and Education Ministry officials in Vavuniya to allow all the students who have sat the December Ordinary level Examination be given the opportunity to sit the oncoming mathematics paper which is scheduled to be retaken on the 24th of January 2009.
Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Risath Bathiyutheen, Northern Province Governor Dickson Dela Bandara, Minister of Services and Social Welfare Lionel Premasiri and several ministry secretaries and other Government agents were also present.Sri Lanka is a model for Geneva Convention
Mr. Basil Rajapakse also said that, it is a phenomenal fact that during the recent liberation of the North there was no damage to property and harm to civilians. In this instance, it is indeed significant that the security forces had acted with utmost respect and diligence to protect the rights of the people of the North.
This has brought much praise among other countries and high end officials hence this would be a model for the Geneva Convention to be promoted among other nations.
The Government believes that the major portion of credit for liberation of northern areas should accrue to the heroic security forces that have relentlessly and at great risk and cost taken on the world's most ruthless LTTE terrorist organization and triumphed.
Further, he mentioned that all the Government servants are engaged to protect all the territories liberated by the forces and security must be strengthened in the respective areas.
Further, the Government is looking forward to establishing civil administration in the North, just the same way it was established in the Eastern Province last year.Courtesy: news.lk