Rains lash refugees

AS heavy rains lash the Vanni, shelter for refugees is becoming a life and= death struggle. Reports say many refugees south of Akkarayankulam are in desperate circumstances living under trees with only sarees to keep out the elements. Although the number of food lorries allowed into the Vanni has increased, NGOs say food is not reaching many families. Food arriving is said to be= used to restock cooperative stores for earlier borrowings.

A three-member committee has been appointed to assess the refugee situation as NGOs and the government argue over the number of refugees in the Vanni. The government says 199,000 while NGOs claim over 350,000 people are without proper food, shelter or medical care.

International relief agencies like Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) have protested over the Defence ministry=92s 75% cut on medical supplies. In= medical centres at Mallavi and Akkarayankulam, north of the frontline, where over 1,700 refugees are treated daily, medical shortages are acute. The rains= bring the added threat of water-borne disease, especially where refugee concentrations are high. The Defence Ministry is yet to approve repeated requests to restore the chlorine supply to purify water.

As human suffering escalates, military operations in the Vanni continue. The government claims that in early October the Airforce inflicted heavy damage= on LTTE leader Prabhakaran=92s headquarters 1-4 base in Nedunkerni west of Mullaitivu. On 20 October, the military attacked the Sea Tiger base at Chundikulam, five miles south of Vetrilaikerni Army camp in the Jaffna peninsula. The Army says the base was destroyed but the main aim - to knock out the LTTE radar station at Ponnaithoduvai - failed. Nine sailors and 40 Tigers died in the operation.

The Army closed its Pooneryn camp in early October and moved troops to Kilinochchi. The camp was overrun by the Tigers in November 1993 at a cost of 900 soldiers=92 lives and during four months of abortive peace talks in= early 1995, the LTTE again demanded its removal. Its closure highlights the Army= =92s dilemma - spread too thin in hostile terrain and failure in= recruitment.

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