Sri Lanka government rushes to establish civil administration to handle IDPs

Expressing hope the Secretary said one day all those Tamils can come back to a united Sri Lanka.

Apr 22, Colombo: Sri Lankan government under the directive of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is taking immediate measures to establish a civil administration in Vavuniya to handle the influx of civilians arriving at the welfare centers, President's Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga said.

In an interview to the ColomboPage, Mr. Weeratunga said the President has ordered to execute a solid plan he has outlined to provide health, food, housing for the IDPs, early resettlement in their original homes and transportation to their places of residence.

President's Secretary himself will be overseeing the process, he added.

"We have enough experience to handle a situation like this following the Tsunami experience. Unfortunately developed countries lack the experience, for example, the US is still struggling with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Weeratunga said.

Speaking about the government's future plans for the North, Weeratunga said the government is taking all possible steps to restore normalcy in the North as soon as possible.

"We will succeed in clearing this catastrophic mess, the LTTE and their supporters world over have created," he said.

Expressing hope the Secretary said one day all those Tamils can come back to a united Sri Lanka.

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