Bishop seeks equal aid for Tamil refugees

(September 30, 2010) A Tamil bishop in Sri Lanka has appealed to authorities for equal distribution of aid and cash grants to resettled families. “Deal fairly with all refugees as they had lost virtually every possession they owned to the war,” Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar diocese appealed to state officials in a recent meeting. Northern people displaced from their homes between 1990 and 2009 are returning to their ruined villages. Government officials allocated assistance for them during the final stages of civil war in 2009. Villagers have complained about the unequal distribution of relief goods and cash grants. The government reportedly pays different amounts to families displaced before and during the war in 2009. Refugees were paid 5,000 rupees (US $50) as initial payment by the government, while families were told that an additional 25,000 rupees will be paid after resettlement. Bishop Joseph recently met rice farmers in his diocese and also held meetings with military personnel and state aid officials in Ellupiddy village where some 55 families have resettled. The bishop discussed the plight of the refugees who were denied aid and requested to find an innovative approach to help them. “They are entitled to relief items too,” he added. He thanked military personnel involved in the de-mining and resettlement process. “We travelled together with your suffering all these years and we will continue that,” Bishop Joseph assured the refugees. As of September, 238,000 Tamils have been resettled while 28,000 remain in refugee camps. Reports say 90 percent of the refugees have been resettled in their original villages.