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| Friday, 31 December 2004 |
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Ranil Wijayapala reporting from Jaffna A ministerial delegation led by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse including Colombo district UPFA MP Wimal Weerawansa yesterday visited the disaster affected areas in the Jaffna peninsula and spoke to the affected people despite a protest campaign by certain groups allegedly instigated by the LTTE against the visiting JVP Ministers and MPs. The Prime Minister during his visit assured the displaced people in Jaffna that there will be no discrimination by the Government in the distribution of relief for the affected people whether they are in the North or the South. The people who lost their loved ones related their harrowing ordeal to the Prime Minister and the visiting Ministers and Deputy Ministers including Agriculture and Land Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Colombo district MP Wimal Weerawansa. The Premier also visited Velvetithurai which is the home town of LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran which was also ravaged by the tsunami waves and pledged to the people there, the maximum support to rebuild their devastated houses, schools and Hindu temples. The refugees at the Puloly Maha Vidyalayam in Manthikai, instigated by a handful of persons alleged to be from the LTTE protested against the visiting Ministerial delegation thinking that Agriculture Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayaka and Wimal Weerawansa were there at the refugee camp. The incident took place when the disaster affected people were sharing their grievances with the Premier and the Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle. Minister Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Wimal Weerawansa accompanied by Minister Susil Premajayantha and Deputy Minister Dilan Perera visited the disaster affected people in Manalkadu area. The Prime Minister instructed Jaffna GA S. Pathmanathan to pay Rs. 10,000 as funeral expenses for the death victims and pledged that the Government will provide assistance for the affected people. He also instructed the Security Forces Commander and Naval Commander in Jaffna to provide the fishermen with licences as they have lost their identity cards following the disaster. The Premier also said the district will be provided with mobile clinics for necessary medical assistance for the affected people. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Sunil Tennekoon, Government officials participated at the discussion with the Premier at the Security Forces Headquarters in Palaly. |
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