Lifeline Daily Radio Show #149 (13 August 2009)
Medical students from the North and East make plans to travel to Jaffna to start their first term and WFP plans to supply enough food for four months to IDP camps in the North and East. The NGO, SOS is opening a new children’s home in Vavuniya and hopes to reunite the displaced youngsters with their families and 140,000 pilgrims have already arrived for Saturday’s Madhu Festival
- Arrangements underway for medical students to start at Jaffna University
- US sends $15million to help feed 280,000 IDPs
- Reunification plans for 400 IDP children
- Pilgrims arrive for Madhu Festival
Arrangements underway for medical students to start at Jaffna University
One hundred students in the North and East are asking the authorities for permission to take their places at Jaffna University.
The university’s medical faculty opens its doors on August 17 but students who live outside the district need permission from the Ministry of Defence to travel.
The University of Jaffna and its Vavuniya campus are helping make arrangements to take the medical students. Dean of the Vavuniya campus, Mr.Nandakumar stated that 100 students had been given places on the medical course, 22 of whom are Sinhalese or Muslim. Registrar of Jaffna University, Kandeepan Viswanathan advised the students to contact the Dean of Vavuniya campus to make necessary arrangements to travel on August 16.
He also stated the GA of Jaffna had made all necessary agreements to get the clearance for the students.
Students who are living in IDP camps will not be able to leave until after current negotiations are completed with officials.
US sends $15million to help feed 280,000 IDPs
The World Food Program (WFP) plans to supply enough food to help feed IDPs in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Jaffna camps for four months. WFP Country Director Mr. Adnan Khan explains: “We have received a donation from USAID from the US government of about $15 million. This donation covers three commodities – wheat flour, lentils and oil – and they will start arriving in Colombo or Trincomalee around October. These will be sufficient to help feed the camps for about four months. We are now providing food for all of the 280,000 IDPs in Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Jaffna camps and from today, we have increased the quantity of food that we provide to our beneficiaries. We have now decided to provide 2100 kcl worth of food, which means we have increased the amount of rice that we provide per person and increased the oil. In addition to that, we are also providing salt as a dry food ration.”
Reunification plans for 400 IDP children
The NGO, SOS is opening a new children’s home in Vavuniya next week and hopes to try and reunite the children with their families. Construction of the home for displaced orphan children from the Vanni, has been completed in Vavuniya and it is expected to inaugurate the home on August 19. It is planned to bring 400 orphan children from Vavuniya camps to this children’s home shortly after the inauguration. The Child Care and Women’s Empowerment Ministry has approved the plan. Deputy Country Director of SOS Mr. Divahar Ratnathurai states that they plan to reunite the children, who have been separated from their parents, after they arrive at the children’s home. He further states that the children can continue their education in the schools which are located inside the welfare camps.
Pilgrims arrive for Madhu Festival
Around 140,000 people have arrived in Madhu for the festival which takes place on August 15. The government is expecting 500,000 people from many areas for this festival and yesterday a special train service was started from Negombo to Madhu. Up until today, around 861 vehicles have arrived in the area around the Madhu church. Military spokesperson, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakara stated that up to one square kilometre of land has been cleared of landmines in Madhu and its surrounding area so that people can safely use the roads for travel.
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