11.05.2009
Mr. S. B. Divaratne,
Commissioner General for Essential Services,
Colombo.
Dear Commissioner,
I am surprised to note that at a press briefing on the 7th you had said that you are aware of the food shortage prevailing in the No Fire Zone(NZF) and that the Government, although ready with a ship-load of food items, is unable to take it across to the IDPs, due to the reluctance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. I need not point out to you that it is obligatory on your part, although it is a difficult task, to find ways and means to send the ship across by persuading the ICRC or by exploring other possibilities. If the required cooperation is available the ICRC will never shirk its responsibility. In any case the International Community will never pardon us if the innocent people are allowed to starve, however much the excuse may appear to be reasonable. Above all at the time when the country is celebrating the attainment of Budha-hood by Siddhartha the great we should show compassion to all. It is our country that sponsored Wesak as an International Holiday.
You are reported to have said, conceding that there is acute shortage of food there and that the Government is helpless in this matter. One signal to the International Community, the NFZ will be flooded with all what the IDPs need. It is not my intention to embarrass you. You may kindly advice the Government to request India to send a Ship-load of food that will last for several days and also have the Government exonerated of the charge of staving the people.
I wish to give you a brief description of the ground situation since you have said that there are only about 20,000 people still left there and also queried as to how I arrived at the figure as over one hundred thousand in the NFZ. I am surprised at your claim because if you add 20,000 to 187,810 the number of IDPs who had come out already or rescued by the forces, is it your claim that only about 219,810 IDPs were there at the time the forces defeated the LTTE and cornered them along with the IDPs at Newmathalan. Although my information is very reliable, by a simple arithmetical process you can see for yourself that there had been over 484,048 people from Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu districts taken together as on 31.12.2008. This figure does not include Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya. The Government had been providing food for all the people in these two districts based on these figures, all these years. But as claimed by you, you had been sending food for only 300,000 people before the mass exodus thereby admitting that no sufficient food was sent to these districts, during the past three to four month.
This goes to explain as to why children had died for want of milk and thousands of elders were very severely malnourished. People are waiting for Kanchi in long “Q” at several points. Many did not eat rice for a long time. There is an acute shortage of Milk powder and Triposa. The ICRC’s, small ship took only 25 metric tons of food on the 7th and took back 400 injured civilians. After the ship left there was heavy shelling. On the 8th ICRC ship could not reach the seaside and therefore returned without discharging the cargo and also left behind 500 injured awaiting transporting. The ship came on the 9th with 30 metric tons and returned with 450 injured persons. Patients brought to hospital are fainting due to starvation and mothers are waiting in vain for milk food for the children. The last food ship arrived in early April. Since then only a small ship had been used for transportation.
There is an out break of jaundice and hepatitis among the children. This is the ground situation for your information. What I want is please send sufficient food for the people without any excuse and in sufficient quantity.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
V. Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
Mr. S. B. Divaratne,
Commissioner General for Essential Services,
Colombo.
Dear Commissioner,
FOOD CRISIS IN THE NO FIRE ZONE.
I am surprised to note that at a press briefing on the 7th you had said that you are aware of the food shortage prevailing in the No Fire Zone(NZF) and that the Government, although ready with a ship-load of food items, is unable to take it across to the IDPs, due to the reluctance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. I need not point out to you that it is obligatory on your part, although it is a difficult task, to find ways and means to send the ship across by persuading the ICRC or by exploring other possibilities. If the required cooperation is available the ICRC will never shirk its responsibility. In any case the International Community will never pardon us if the innocent people are allowed to starve, however much the excuse may appear to be reasonable. Above all at the time when the country is celebrating the attainment of Budha-hood by Siddhartha the great we should show compassion to all. It is our country that sponsored Wesak as an International Holiday.
You are reported to have said, conceding that there is acute shortage of food there and that the Government is helpless in this matter. One signal to the International Community, the NFZ will be flooded with all what the IDPs need. It is not my intention to embarrass you. You may kindly advice the Government to request India to send a Ship-load of food that will last for several days and also have the Government exonerated of the charge of staving the people.
I wish to give you a brief description of the ground situation since you have said that there are only about 20,000 people still left there and also queried as to how I arrived at the figure as over one hundred thousand in the NFZ. I am surprised at your claim because if you add 20,000 to 187,810 the number of IDPs who had come out already or rescued by the forces, is it your claim that only about 219,810 IDPs were there at the time the forces defeated the LTTE and cornered them along with the IDPs at Newmathalan. Although my information is very reliable, by a simple arithmetical process you can see for yourself that there had been over 484,048 people from Kilinochchi and Mullaitheevu districts taken together as on 31.12.2008. This figure does not include Jaffna, Mannar and Vavuniya. The Government had been providing food for all the people in these two districts based on these figures, all these years. But as claimed by you, you had been sending food for only 300,000 people before the mass exodus thereby admitting that no sufficient food was sent to these districts, during the past three to four month.
This goes to explain as to why children had died for want of milk and thousands of elders were very severely malnourished. People are waiting for Kanchi in long “Q” at several points. Many did not eat rice for a long time. There is an acute shortage of Milk powder and Triposa. The ICRC’s, small ship took only 25 metric tons of food on the 7th and took back 400 injured civilians. After the ship left there was heavy shelling. On the 8th ICRC ship could not reach the seaside and therefore returned without discharging the cargo and also left behind 500 injured awaiting transporting. The ship came on the 9th with 30 metric tons and returned with 450 injured persons. Patients brought to hospital are fainting due to starvation and mothers are waiting in vain for milk food for the children. The last food ship arrived in early April. Since then only a small ship had been used for transportation.
There is an out break of jaundice and hepatitis among the children. This is the ground situation for your information. What I want is please send sufficient food for the people without any excuse and in sufficient quantity.
Thanking you,
Yours Sincerely,
V. Anandasangaree,
President – TULF.
