President orders urgent relief

Rasika Somarathna

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed the relevant authorities to provide all necessities to the displaced civilians arriving from the 'safe zone' in Mullaitivu.

He has instructed the Commissioner General of Essential Services S. Divarathne to ensure that necessary food, medicines and other essentials be provided in adequate quantities to the people.

The President has also given orders to provide immediate medical assistance to those who have being injured due to LTTE suicide bombings and gun fire directed at the fleeing civilians.

Educational activities of several Schools in Vavuniya too has been stopped temporarily, to accommodate the large civilian influx from the 'safe zone' according to authorities.

Thus the Government has put in place certain mechanisms to cater to the exodus, with Vavuniya being prepared as a humanitarian assistance hub.

Sources at Essential Services Commissioners office said that additional food stocks, personnel, medical staff & drugs, temporary shelter material etc. too had been sent to the area.

Also preparations are on to meet the needs of an expected exodus in the coming couple of days as well they added. Meanwhile the Transport Ministry too has taken steps to dispatch more than 80 buses to the area to arrange transportation of the IDP's to Vavuniya and other locations from Mullaitivu.