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Red Cross in charge of Indian aid to Sri Lankan Tamils

COLOMBO: India has approached the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) for delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians caught in areas that are still under the LTTE’s control in Wanni, said the ICRC on Friday.

The Indian request follows an agreement between India and Sri Lanka on October 26 under which Colombo had agreed to India’s request for providing humanitarian assistance to the internally-displaced persons (IDPs). In his meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Thursday in New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to Tamil Nadu sending 2,000 tonnes of food and other materials for IDPs in north Sri Lanka.

The ICRC said the relief material is expected to reach Sri Lanka in the next few days. The ICRC is the only international humanitarian organisation permanently present in the Wanni, where it operates with the agreement of both the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. “This is the first time that India has provided humanitarian aid to conflict-affected people in Sri Lanka through the ICRC. We have seen the relief items and they do indeed correspond to the needs of the displaced people we see in Wanni. We look forward to receiving this relief consignment here in Colombo in the coming days,” said Paul Castella, ICRC’s head of delegation in Sri Lanka.

“Security and stability are a pressing concern for the displaced people in Wanni. Many of them have had to flee several times since hostilities escalated in July,” said Hicham Mandoudi, head of ICRC’s operations in Wanni.

“What these displaced people want is a place where they can stabilise their lives. They’re exhausted after moving from one place to another, each time leaving behind more of their belongings.”

The ICRC continues to facilitate the passage of food convoys through the Omanthai checkpoint between government-held and LTTE-held territories. The checkpoint was temporarily closed following reports of shelling.

Meanwhile, the military on Friday claimed the 57th Division troops, operating along on the main axis of battle in the Wanni battlefront, are now “successfully manoeuvring” towards Kilinochchi, the administrative hub of the LTTE. The Defence Ministry said the 571st and 572nd brigades marched further northwards, destroying LTTE positions along the western boundary of Kilinochchi built-up area and claimed the LTTE had suffered heavy losses.

It further said mop-up operations were completed in Devil’s Point and the area has been “fully liberated.”

Sri Lankan artistes, in a letter to the South Indian Cinema Artistes and Technicians, delivered to the High Commissioner of India, have sought to impress upon their counterparts the nature of operations being undertaken by Sri Lanka in the north.

The objective is to portray the true picture of the humanitarian operations to rescue the civilians, said actor Ravindra Randeniya.

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