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Help hapless IDPs

There was a vast outpouring of sympathy for the civilians who escaped the jaws of the LTTE and fled to the Government controlled areas risking life and limb. In fact, many were shot while thus fleeing and while some of them perished others arrived with gun shot wounds to unfold the gory details of their ordeal. All these scenes shown on TV moved the people of the South to open their purse strings for these hapless souls and we saw both cash and material assistance pour in on their behalf. Even places of religious worship were converted into collecting centres of this assistance and businessmen and the corporate sector came out with their fat cheques. Overall, the picture resembled the avalanche of assistance in the tsunami aftermath.

But one does not see this momentum of the initial stages. If anything, the assistance have now tapered into a trickle with even the loud publicity given to such events almost muted. True, the IDPs cannot live on handouts forever and the Government will have to somehow acquire the funds to maintain these people until they are finally resettled in their original homes.

But it would be ideal if this empathy with the plight of these civilians who are after all our own brothers and sisters, that was there in abundance initially, is not allowed to wane and the assistance keep on flowing as before to supplement the Government's own efforts.

Yesterday, we carried in our lead story a comment by Minister Maithripala Sirisena that the Government spends over Rs. 250 million daily for the welfare of the displaced civilians. The funds are used for food, healthcare, education and vocational training. India too has pledged US dollars 100 million for relief and rehabilitation of the displaced. There is also assistance pledged by other countries.

But we, on our own should also add our mite to these initiatives and show our empathy with these folks who are after all thrown into their misery by sheer force of circumstances. We should not let our empathy diminish with the passage of time but strive to retain the picture of their suffering at all times. As such, every individual should make it a point to assist the Government in whatever way possible to see that these people are delivered of their pain and misery and restored to a normal life.

Especially, the business sector will certainly have a stake in the regeneration of the North. Here too we see a paucity after the initial activism and enthusiasm when generous cheques were presented to the President almost in a rush. True, the Government is not short of assistance for this second phase of its humanitarian operation. But things can move much faster if this can be supplemented by our own generosity to make our unfortunate brethren pick up the pieces of their lives.


Tamil commentaries

President Mahinda Rajapaksa should be commended for ordering ball by ball cricket commentaries in Tamil which for the first time enabled Tamil cricket fans particularly those in the North enjoy a running description of the action on the field, beginning with first test match against Pakistan.

Earlier, only resume of the game were given in Tamil either during the regular breaks or at the fall of a wicket. Now all Tamil cricket fans can have the full match when they switch on their radios.

This is a significant development in the light of the integration process that is now underway. It would not only give due recognition to the Tamil language but also bring it on par with Sinhala and English in a sporting sense, which can be described as a coming together of sorts by all communities.

True, any true cricket fan from whatever community is well conversant with game to follow the English commentary without a problem. But this has the danger of compartmentalizing people giving a certain segment an elitist patina. The President's move has now removed this class barrier allowing a level playing field all round.

LTTE ruined Tamils’ culture - President

In this concluding part of an extended interview to The Hindu at Temple Trees in Colombo on June 30, President Mahinda Rajapaksa answers N. Ram’s questions on concerns over what is perceived as triumphalism,

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Point of view:

Dengue and negative health practices

I wish to suggest some points to eradicate Dengue breeding mosquitoes and some adverse health practices.

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No future for LTTE

Is the LTTE capable of re-grouping after the death of Tiger Chief Velupillai Prabakaran and other hard-core Tiger leaders? Who is this K.P.? What is the current attitude of the international community towards the LTTE since its military debacle?

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