by Danielle Vella

Thanks to pressure from the Diocese of Mannar, today the army is moving around 800 people in the north-west of the island, where large-scale army operations are under way against the Tamil rebels. In just a week, 4,000 displaced people poured into Murunkan, where they are taking shelter in a Salesian hostel, schools and host families.

Colombo (AsiaNews) – Intense advocacy by the local Catholic Church has led to the evacuation of more than 800 people who were stranded for nearly a week after the latest army offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels in north-west Sri Lanka. Since the only land route open to them is mined, the residents of Mullikulam have been isolated and unable to receive food supplies. The only way they can survive is by walking more than 20km and to risk being blown up, which is what happened on 1 September to a van carrying 18 people, 12 of whom died.

Nearly 4,000 people were displaced by the offensive launched a week ago by Colombo, in which the security forces claimed they overran a naval base of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Silavathurai. The army ordered villagers to evacuate and promised that matters would be resolved in a week, but today, the head of the security forces of Mannar said another seven days were needed. Around 3,000 people were forced to leave the village of Arippu, crossing a river with only two boats available.

The Vicar-General of Mannar Diocese, Fr Victor Sosai, told AsiaNews that the Church had made “every effort to rescue the people of Mullikulam”. One option suggested was that they may be allowed to cross by sea to Silavathurai, 22km away. It was only today that the army decided to enter the village – formerly under LTTE control – and to bring the people overland. Fr Sosai said the exodus was still under way, and NGOs had already prepared lunch packets to welcome the displaced people.

Fr Sosai, who is also president of the Mannar District Consortium of NGOs, said the Mullikulam residents would be put up in the school of Murunkan town. They join thousands of others displaced by last week’s army offensive. Currently 3,900 people are sheltered in the Don Bosco hostel in Murunkan, the school of neighbouring Nanattan, or with host families. Emergency meetings between the army, government officials, NGOs and the diocese have been held to coordinate aid for the displaced people. The Bishop of Mannar, Rayappu Joseph, attended the meetings.

The displaced people are anxious to return home because they have left all their possessions behind: their boats, fishing nets, money, jewellery, ID cards, and clothes.  But the army has yet to give the green light.

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