Trinco tsunami victims protest, demand proper shelters

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 March 2005, 11:05 GMT]
Hundreds of Tamil speaking people affected by tsunami disaster in the coastal areas of Trincomalee town and its suburbs Monday held protest in several places sitting across main roads bringing traffic to a halt, demanding that they should be moved out from tents and be located in temporary houses elsewhere, sources said.

The Police rushed to the site where several hundred of tsunami victims of Veeranagar sat across the Ehambaram Road that leads to the Clock Tower junction. The protests were held as a part of the general shut down observed Monday in the east port city, sources said.

Mr.Gamini Rodrigo, Trincomalee Government Agent consoles an elderly tsunami victim woman not to worry and promises she will be provided with comfortable temporary shelter within a month at a new location.

During the sit-in-protest some of the tsunami-affected women cooked their meals on the middle of the road.

Mr.E.G.Goonaretna, Headquarters Inspector of Police rushed to the site with a posse of policemen and held discussion with the President of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples Forum Mr.V.Vigneswaran.

Mr.Kapila Jayasekara, Superintendent of Police in Trincomalee also visited the scene and held discussion with the protestors. Protestors told police officials that they should be relocated from the present site without any delay as they are unable to live in tents because of heat and their health is affected, sources said

They cited the death of a sixty nine year old tsunami victim Mr. Murugesu Nadaraja on Friday due to sunstroke from heat generated inside the tent, sources said.

The family in a tent where the 69 year old Murugiah Nadarajah died Friday due to heat wave

On receipt of information about the sit-in-protest blocking main roads, Mr.Gamini Rodrigo, Trincomalee Government also rushed to the scene in company of SP Mr.Kapila Jayasekara, Divisional assistant Secretary Ms S.Jalatheepan, and Additional Government Agent Mr.N.Singarayaer.

Tsunami victims briefed the Government Agent about their difficulties. They wanted that they should be given alternate shelters elsewhere. They pleaded with the Government Agent to act with humanitarian point of view and wanted the Government Agent to give a deadline for relocating them, sources said.

Mr.Gamini Rodrigo assured them that he would be taking immediate steps to relocate them in temporary shelters put up in Love Lane area in the Uppuveli Police division within one month from this date, sources said.

Tsunami victims told the Government Agent that they would organize large scale protests if they are not relocated within a month. Thereafter protestors dispersed from the sites, sources said.

Cooking on middle of the road

Police officer looks on while tsunami victims cook in the middle of the road close their tent shelter