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The seasonal down pours and the opening of schools on September 4th are posing difficulties to provide shelter to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Vanni, The Sunday Thinakkural reported today.

Dismayed over prevailing conditions, the Sri Lanka Government Agents (GA) of Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu have appealed to the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to provide more temporary shelter materials, added the Sunday Thinakkural, published from Colombo.

[IDPs taking shelter in school buildings such as pictured here will have to vacate as new school term begins on September 4th-more pics]

Mullaithivu

Additional Government Agent for Mullaithivu, Kandasamy Parthiban speaking to Thinakkural on the plight of the displaced further stated:

More than one hundred thousand people are seeking refuge in Mullaithivu after displacement from their native places. He said distribution of dray rations is being done without too much hindrance at the present time. But the need for temporary shelters is immense.

The urgent need for materials providing shelter has risen due to couple of reasons. One is the rainy and soggy grounds and the second reason is the beginning of the school for the final school term on September 4th.

The schools are facing congestion; upto four schools are functioning in one location due to displacement.

Due to this the educational institutions too are need of large amount of shelter materials.

Mulliathivu Additional GA said appeal has been made to non governmental agencies for back to school relief supplies as well for the displaced students.

Kilinochchi

Kilinochchi GA N. Vedanayagam said over eighty thousand people are seeking safety in Kilinochchi district. Dry ration relief supplies distribution in Kilinochchi except rice is under pressure as supplies are running low in the district, according to the GA.

If further displacements happen the supplies situation will be extremely stretched, the GA said.

Kilinochchi district too faces shortage of temporary shelter materials.

As in Mulliathivu, the IDPs are bracing for more difficulties as the rainy season is under way and the new school term is set to begin on September 4th.

Residents from places like Mannar, Madhu, Vavuniya North, Vavunikulam, Vannerikulam and Akkarayankulam, Manalaru and Oddusuddan have moved towards the heart of Vanni – Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu districts, which is under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as fighting rages with Sri Lanka armed forces.

The seasonal down pours and the opening of schools on September 4th are posing difficulties to provide shelter to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Vanni, The Sunday Thinakkural reported today.

Dismayed over prevailing conditions, the Sri Lanka Government Agents (GA) of Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu have appealed to the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies to provide more temporary shelter materials, added the Sunday Thinakkural, published from Colombo. [Read More]

Annual festivities at the historic Tellippalai Durga Amman Temple begins on Monday September 1st, with flag hoisting ceremony at 11 AM. The festival will take place for 12 days.

Tellippalai is in the northern Jaffna District of Sri Lanka.

Animal Pilgrimage (Vettai Thiruvizha) will take place on Tuesday September 9th, followed by Sapparam on 10th, chariot festival on 11th and water cutting ceremony on the 12th.

Tellippalai Durga Temple is one of the most popular places of worship in Sri Lanka.

Tellippalai Durga Amman temple establishment is known as an epicentre for a multitude of social and cultural activities. Both administrative and spiritual leadership of the temple was spearheaded by Ms. Thangamma Appakkuddi (Jan 7, 1925 – Jun 15, 2008) over the past several years.

Chariot Festival at Nallur Kandaswamy Temple was held today, August 29th.

Though the crowd of devotees was comparatively less than the previous years during the Cease Fire Agreement period, people kept coming from morning through noon, according to media sources in Jaffna.

The annual festivals during the few years after the 2002 ‘ceasefire’ were held in a grand scale but the festival is subdued this year due to the unsettled security situation and the strictly enforced curfew prevailing in Jaffna peninsula.

The Temple situated on the outskirts of Jaffna traces its origin back to A.D 948 and has emerged as one of the most revered Hindu shrines in Sri Lanka.

[Nallur Kanthan, god of love, beauty and knowledge exerting his charm on devotees, Aug 29, 2008.
Picture courtesy of: virakesari.lk - Vannarponnai Correspondent]

Related: Nallur Kumaran ~ Thear ~ 2005

Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) today claimed that the ‘Air Tigers’ carried out a successful air strike on the Eastern Headquarters of the Sri Lanka Navy located in the inner harbour of Trincomalee Tuesday at 9:15 p.m, according to media reports.

The LTTE also said their aircrafts safely returned to the base after carrying out the mission.

However, Sri Lanka Government media has said the LTTE air raid was ‘aborted’. It also said the intended LTTE target may have been ‘the base itself and the Jetliner troops carrier’.

Excerpts of report in Daily News.lk:

The aircraft had come in from the Mullaitivu side and was detected by the SLAF radars. The Security Forces activated the air defence mechanisms.

Anti-aircraft fire and tracer bullets ripped through the night sky, residents said. To
The sources said the main targets could have been the base itself and the Jetliner troops carrier which leaves Trincomalee for Jaffna with hundreds of Forces personnel. The ship movement was not affected. The aircraft withdrew from the area after anti-aircraft measures were activated.

Meanwhile an Independent Colombo based news website – Lanka Dissent said ‘6 naval personnel were killed and 24 injured in Air Tiger attack’.

The first LTTE air raid was on August 11th 2006 when two planes flew over Palaly and dropped a few bombs. In 2007, air attacks were carried out in locations near Colombo. The strike on Trincomalee harbour on August 26th was the 6th air attack carried out by LTTE.

Related: May 2007 ~ Flying Tigers Elevate Conflict to New Heights, by D.B.S. Jeyaraj

News sites report varying casualty figures on Tuesday’s Trincomalee Naval base air raid

The LTTE is yet to comment on an air strike allegedly carried out by their ‘air wing’ at the Trincomalee dockyard Tuesday night; and several news sources are reporting varying details on casualties.

Sri Lanka military initially said there were no casualties. However BBC Sandeshaya quoted Defence Ministry sources on Wednesday and reported 10 naval personnel were wounded in the raid.

News site Lanka Dissent said six Sri Lanka naval personnel were killed and 24 others injured in the Trincomalee air raid, quoting Defence sources.