More facilities for IDPs

The Government is taking extra steps to provide appropriate facilities to house the IDPs coming to Government held areas in rising numbers.
Senior Presidential consultant and MP Basil Rajapaksa disclosed this following a conversation with key Line Ministers, director of the North, Provincial Council Secretaries, Government Agents, Divisional Secretaries and the safety officials held at the Presidential Secretariat on January 17.
The Government has made preparations to set up Refugees Welfare Centres in Menik Farm 1 which has 150 acres, Menik Farm 2 having 450 acres and Omanthai 150 acres to give instant relief events to the IDP's coming from the Vavuniya, Mannar, Mulaitivu, Kilinochchi and Jaffna districts.
The Ministry of relocation and Disaster Management has made preparations to speed up the relief events for IDP's and resettle 30,000 families within these three camps. The Ministry has already resettled 778 families, he added.
The people coming from un-cleared areas into the Government forbidden areas will be provided with not poisonous meals, dry rations, drinking water, health and sanitary facilities, electricity, cooking gear, clothes, infant food and other essential items. In addition, they will also be provided with daily payment of Rs.100 for any of their various needs, further he said
According to Senior President consultant Rajapaksa, the Government would get the help of the relevant Ministries, Provincial Council authorities, Divisional Secretaries and security officials to facilitate areas of leisure and other amenities for the displaced persons.
The Ministry of Resettlement is coordinating the provision of relief services to the displaced persons through the Government Agents in Vavuniya and a sum of Rs.30 million has alre adybeen allocated to make easy preparations.
" More people are predictable to enter Government forbidden areas in the near future.
The Government is rank by in training to provide all release measures to those pending from uncleared areas. The Government has also aimed to get better the living principles of the people in the war torn area than the obtainable standards," he said.
He said with the help of the Health Ministry, the UNICEF would give Hygienic Kit to each family and they have also undertaken to provide extra food such as UNIMIX and BP a 100 high power biscuits to all children to conquer any form of undernourishment throughout this time.
The WFP and World Health Organisation will be actively involved in expediting this process.
He also directed the Zonal Education Director and the Education Ministry officials in Vavuniya to allow all the students who have sat the December Ordinary level Examination to be given the opportunity to sit the upcoming mathematics paper which is scheduled to be retaken on January 24, 2009.
Rajapaksa also stated that" It is a phenomenal fact during the recent liberation of the North there was no damage to ant property and harm to civilians. In this instance, it is indeed significant where the security forces had acted with utmost respect and diligence to protect the rights of the people of the North.
This has brought much praise among other countries and high end officials hence this would be a model the Geneva Convention would be looking to promote among other countries."
He said the Government believes that the major portion of credit for liberation of northern areas should accrue to the heroic forces that have relentlessly and a great risk and cost taken on the world's most ruthless LTTE terrorist organisation and triumphed Government.
The Government is looking forward to establish the civil administration in the Northern area. All the Government servants are engaged to protect all the territories liberated by the forces and security must be strengthen in those respective areas, he added.