In brief
Asylum seekers
According to the BBC, Police in Kazakhstan detained 24 Sri Lankans wandering across the snow-covered steppes in freezing temperatures. The refugees suffered from exposure and carried the body of a fellow asylum seeker who had died of cold.
Deported
India deported Sri Lankan Tamil leader Kanagendran Eelaventhan, 68, to the island in early December on the alleged ground that he overstayed his visa. Mr Eelaventhan took refuge in Tamil Nadu in 1983. Reports say he was involved in LTTE’s Great Heroes Week celebrations in Madras.
Cyclone
Five people were killed and 75,000 families affected in Batticaloa, Amparai, Trincomalee and Polonnaruwa districts when a cyclone hit the east on 25 December. Over 55,000 houses were damaged. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs says the cyclone also destroyed paddylands, livestock, electricity and telephone lines.
Compensation
The Jaffna NGO consortium says that 15,000 people displaced from Palaly have not been compensated. The 10,000 acre area is a high security zone and most houses in the area have been demolished. According to Vanni MPs, the Army is occupying a number of houses in Mannar for the past eight years without paying rent.
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