Sri Lanka

FOMSO’S HUMANITARIAN MISSION TO SRI LANKA TO HELP THE VICTIMS OF THE WAR IN VAVUNIYA & JAFFNA

1. An advance team comprising of 2 members, namely Mr Magandran Muthiah and Ms Geetha Rubasundram from 16th August 2009 to 21st August 2009.

The objectives of the team was to visit Manik Farm in Vavuniya & Jaffna and :-

• To ensure that donations sent are reaching the Internally Displaced Persons ( IDPs)
• To identify the route to bring in humanitarian aid
• To identify plans and assistance to the IDPs for their rehabilitation and resettlement process.

2. A FOMSO delegation comprising 12 members, namely Dato S Kulasegaran, Mr Gnanarajah, Mr Mahalingam, Mr Magandran, Mr Poobalan, Ms Geetha, Mr Jeyasingam, Mr Chakaravarthy, Mr Anthonysamy Francis, Mr Santhirasegaran, Ms Kanageswary & Dr Raj Kumar from 9th November 2009 to 19th November 2009 

Their objectives was to visit all the camps in Vavuniya & Jaffna, and

• To handover Humanitarian Aid directly to the victims of the war in the camps
• To attend the Sri Lankan Diaspora Expatriates Forum 2009 and to handover a Memorandum to His Excellancy, President Mahinda Rajapaksa
• To ascertain further Aid to be undertaken Under Phase 2

Highlights of the 12 member delegation report

Conditions in the Vavuniya camps (Zone 0 & 2 – Manik Farm)

The camps were depressing although the number of IDPs had dwindled to 135,000 from the earlier 280,000. The IDPs crowded around the members of the delegation, each telling of their own experiences, and wanting to know the future for themselves & loved ones, having spent the last 6 months in make shift tents as homes. The children are provided with education which follows Sri Lanka’s national curriculum

The general feedback received from the IDPs:-

1. Insufficient firewood for cooking
2. Insufficient supply of vegetables and sugar
3. Water problems
4. Classrooms are overcrowded and the bus services very poor
5. Better nutrition for students
6. More recreational activities
7. No harassment by the security personnel
8. Desire to return to their native land
9. Zone 2 – required better roofing material as the tents leak badly when it rains

The IDPs are given 3 meals a day, vegetarian mostly except on Mondays, Wednesdays & Saturdays when they are given fish. One pail of water is given for each IDP. The most common diseases were scabies and dermatitis. The IDPs denied any abuses , whether physical or sexual. The camps in Jaffna are better compared to Vavuniya with proper roof and bigger space. As in Vavuniya, the IDPs expressed their hopes to return home and to carry on with their lives.

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR TRIP

Rehabilitation Centre In Punthottam 

• This centre was specifically for ex-LTTE members aged from 13 to 18 years old, totalling about 600.
• As a means of rehabilitation, the Government is providing them with vocational training such as plumbing, carpentry, masonry, welding, wiring, motor mechanics etc.
• About 211 of these children have already been transferred to universities and colleges.
• We identified one girl who had lost her limbs when producing a mine which had exploded in her hands. We will assist her with artificial limbs.

AID HANDED ASSOFAR BY FOMSO :-

• USD 10,000 worth of medications, donated by YSP Malaysia to Dr Herath , Director of IDP Health Care
• USD 10,000 worth of medications purchased as a joint project between FOMSO, Rotary – Sunway & Rotary – Capital City, Sri Lanka. The medications were handed over in Manik Farm to Dr Jeyasinghe.
• USD 20,000 medications, donated by Ranbaxy Malaysia A total of 37 boxes of medicines were given to Sister Clare Swany, Administrator of Holy Cross Health Centre, Beach Road , Jaffna  who does charity service at her centre. They have a surgical/conduct deliveries and have a mobile unit to serve the people of Jaffna.
• 8 Computers & Multimedia Projector – donated to Kopai Christian School  – joint project with Rotary Club  of Colombo West & Rotary District 3300, Malaysia
• 3 Computers – Ramavil Welfare Centre- joint project with Rotary Club of Colombo West & Rotary District 3300, Malaysia
• 3 Computers -Jaffna Vidathatpalai Kamalasani Vidyalayam-joint project with Rotary Club of Colombo West & Rotary District 3300, Malaysia
• We also came across a boy from the camp who is unable to walk due to an injury and fracture of his Right Thigh bone. He was on crutches and and claims he was hurt during shelling by the army in the final days of the war. His mother said she find it difficult to transport him to school from the camp which is a distance away and claims she has requested for a bicycle but with no response from camp authorities. Dato S.Kulasegaran interviewed the boy and his mother and after speaking to the Secretary of the camp, arrangements were made to buy a bicycle for the boy as a donation from the Malaysian delegation.The details of the boy are as follows:-Name  – Ranganathan Nimalan Ramavil Welfare Centre , Kodikamam, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

PAST PROJECTS

As a culmination to its humanitarian efforts for the post-tsunami rehabilitation work in Asia, FOMSO presented two cheques amounting to RM 10,000 and RM 8,000 respectively to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Asia Tsunami Fund and to the International Federation of Red Cross. The presentation came after a seven day humanitarian expedition to Sri Lanka by FOMSO where 200 bicycles and 200 sewing machines worth RM 106,586.00 were handed to various tsunami affected districts in the island.