More civilians reach safe area

Over 36,000 have arrived upto now:

Rafik JALALDEEN

Nearly 442 trapped civilians reached the safer area crossing the LTTE held area with the assistance of the Navy and International Committee of the Red Cross. A total of 36,318 civilians have sought shelter with Security Forces from January upto now.

Navy spokesman Commander D.P.K. Dassanayake said 45 civilians had been rescued by the naval patrols in the seas of Mullaitivu while they were sailing in a fiberglass dinghy fitted with Outer Board Motor on Sunday around 10.30am.

"They included two children, four females and six males. Following prompt medical and food requirement, they were handed over to the respective authorities to be sent to IDP centres. The Navy has deployed extra vessels along with stand-by rescue and medical teams along the northeastern seas to assist the civilians fleeing from the LTTE clutches", he added.

Meanwhile, the ICRC chartered vessel ferried 398 wounded and sick trapped civilians accompanied by their close relatives from Puthumattalan to Trincomalee on Tuesday evening.

ICRC spokesperson Sophie Romanenn said around 398 wounded and sick civilians with their close relatives had been ferried from Puthumattalan to Trincomalee for immediate medical treatment by Green Ocean vessel on Tuesday evening.

This was the fifth instance the ICRC had ferried wounded and sick civilians from Mullaitivu within a week", Romanenn told the Daily News.

She said the sick and wounded civilians who embarked into the ship in the morning from Puthumattalan had arrived to the Trincomalee harbour in the evening.

"We have so far dispatched around 1,980 civilians from Mullaitivu via the sea route", she said. Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said some 36,318 civilians crossing the LTTE dominant areas in Mullaitivu reached the cleared area from January 2009 upto now.

"We are expecting more in the coming days, as troops are on the verge of gaining the last battle areas against the LTTE in Mullaitivu", he added.