The appeal from the Bishops came after meetings with refugees in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi. In September, refugees in these districts continued their protests against the reduction of food. EPDP leader Douglas Devananda says in a letter to foreign envoys in Colombo that the Sri Lankan government should not use food as a weapon of war.
Reports say six people died of disease in Akkarayankulam hospital in August. The hospital treated 17,900 patients, including 2,250 for malaria. Restrictions on chlorine to purify drinking water in wells and malathion insecticide for anti-malarial spraying have resulted in the increase of malaria.
British NGO, Save the Children says that the food-cut has caused immense hardship to families relying on government food supplies for calorific needs. Displaced families have poorer access to education, less opportunity for earning an income and poor health due to poor housing. The situation has deteriorated during the last year, and the implication for children is enormous, many of whom suffer stress, says Save the Children.
A new road from Poovarasankulam on Mannar-Vavuniya road, to the Vanni, opened on 7 September, may ease difficulties of NGOs. Government officers say, food lorries and the public, currently using the circuitous Madhu route, will eventually be allowed to use the road.
There was more publicity for a visiting singer than the plight of the refugees. British pop star Robbie Williams participated in UNICEF’s polio programme in mid-September. The Sri Lankan government and the LTTE agreed for a ceasefire on 19 and 20 September to facilitate immunisation of children.