ICRC reports 1998 achievements

[TamilNet, Thursday, 21 January 1999, 14:46 GMT]
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) located 169 persons in the district of Trincomalee in 1998 whom their families had been searching for. The persons were located after these families opened tracing requests with the ICRC.

Journalists in Trincomalee were apprised of the work of the ICRC during 1998 at press conference called by the organisation today in Trincomalee town.

The 'Java Gulf', the ship chartered by the ICRC to ply between Jaffna and Trincomalee, had made 48 journeys in 1998, ferrying 2178 patients, 600 ICRC and other NGO workers, 102 doctors and nurses and 55 foreign passport holders.

The ICRC vessel had also carried 864 metric tons of cargo (mostly to Jaffna) including 1448 mail bags during the year.

The conference was addressed by the ICRC's press officer Harasha Gunawardena.