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Colombo to establish safe corridor for civilians

COLOMBO: The Sri Lankan government on Monday announced the Ministry of Defence had taken “swift measures to establish a safe corridor” to enable passage of civilians in the LTTE-held territory in the north. Meanwhile, two air raids were carried out on “identified Tiger targets” and at least 41 LTTE cadre were killed in continued fighting, said the military.

The safe-corridor move came in the wake of concerns on the plight of an estimated 1 lakh internally displaced people (IDPs) in areas under LTTE. For several weeks now, the military and LTTE have been engaged in fighting in the districts of Mannar, Mullathivu and Kilinochchi.

“The government of Sri Lanka has decided to further develop Vavuniya as a storage and logistic hub for humanitarian assistance, including food and non-food items. The ongoing efforts of the government in this connection are being complemented by international partners who have also commenced stockpiling food and humanitarian supplies for civilians escaping from or displaced by the armed conflict,” said the Ministry of Human Rights in a statement.

Minister for Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe said work had commenced on upgrading a garment factory in close proximity to the current Vavuniya logistic hub for both inter-agency storage and office facilities.

“Civilians who escape to Vavuniya will thus be able to access the full gamut of humanitarian assistance that the government, supplemented by its international partners, is providing,” he said. The military claimed the troops reached “another important milestone on their noble mission to liberate Wanni” as they entered the highly-guarded “terror bastion,” Mallavi.

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