Indian relief supplies will help displaced Lankan Tamils: ICRC

Colombo, Nov 19 (PTI) The International Committee of the
Red Cross has said the Indian ship consignment of relief
supplies for the Tamils in embattled Northern Sri Lanka will
be distributed to meet the urgent needs of the war-ravaged
people in the country.

The Indian government has approached the ICRC for the
delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians in Wanni in
the north, the international relief agency said after the
consignment reached Colombo from Chennai on Saturday.

Items that Indian government has offered include hygiene
material and clothes corresponding to the needs of displaced
people and residents in Wanni, it said.

"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," Paul Castella, the ICRC’s new Head of Delegation in
Sri Lanka said in a statement.

The Indian High Commission here said that the relief
supplies were in keeping with the India-Sri Lanka Joint
Statement of 26 October, 2008.

Under it, it was agreed that India would send a
consignment of humanitarian relief assistance for civilians
affected by the conflict in the North of Sri Lanka.

The 1,680 tons of relief materials that arrived here from
India contains almost 100 containers.

Officials of the Indian High Commission are currently
working with the Customs and Port authorities for clearance.
The relief items will be handed over to the ICRC Thursday.

The Shipment will be transferred to the warehouse of the
ICRC for onward distribution.

"The High Commission of India wishes to place on record
its appreciation for the Government of Sri Lanka for
facilitating the arrival of the consignment and to the ICRC
for its assistance in its storage, onward transportation and
distribution," a high commission release said here.

Hicham Mandoudi, head of ICRC operations in Wanni
(comprising of Kilinochchi and Mullaittivu) says security and
stability are a pressing concern for displaced people in the
the affected region.

"Many of them have had to flee several times since
hostilities escalated in July", the official said adding "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,"
an ICRC statement quoted Mandoudi as saying.

The ICRC is still the only international humanitarian
agency permanently present in Wanni, where the organisation
operates with the agreement of both the Sri Lankan government
and the LTTE.