(September 09, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Defence Ministry has ordered all INGOs and NGOs to vacate the Vanni region -- where heavy fighting has taken place as the LTTE defends Kilinochchi town --, with immediate effect citing safety concerns, officials said on Monday.
In a circular dated Friday, September 5 and sent to all NGOs, the Director of the National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations said, “the Defence Secretary has instructed to inform all NGOs working in Vanni area to withdraw/remove all the assets (Vehicles, Machineries and Equipment) and all employees who are not permanent residents in Vanni, with immediate effect.”
The order was reiterated at a meeting on Monday in Colombo between government and non-government relief agencies and defence officials in which Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa also took part.
Officials at the meeting said the security situation in the Vanni was such that the government was unable to ensure the safety of aid workers.
“Secretary to the Ministry of Defense, Public Security, Law and Order has advised in his letter dated 05/09/2008 and numbered SMOD/320/DEM/GEN(45), to inform all the NGOs registered in this office that no expatriate/employee or any other person employed by a NGO and working in Vanni will be permitted to travel beyond the Omanthai check point, in consideration of prevailing security situation,” the letter said.
Security forces have been intensifying operations in the Vanni region and have entered the Kilinochchi district but there was no clear indication as to whether troops were any where close to seizing the town. Military officials have not given a time-frame for this exercise.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
In a circular dated Friday, September 5 and sent to all NGOs, the Director of the National Secretariat for Non Governmental Organizations said, “the Defence Secretary has instructed to inform all NGOs working in Vanni area to withdraw/remove all the assets (Vehicles, Machineries and Equipment) and all employees who are not permanent residents in Vanni, with immediate effect.”
The order was reiterated at a meeting on Monday in Colombo between government and non-government relief agencies and defence officials in which Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa also took part.
Officials at the meeting said the security situation in the Vanni was such that the government was unable to ensure the safety of aid workers.
“Secretary to the Ministry of Defense, Public Security, Law and Order has advised in his letter dated 05/09/2008 and numbered SMOD/320/DEM/GEN(45), to inform all the NGOs registered in this office that no expatriate/employee or any other person employed by a NGO and working in Vanni will be permitted to travel beyond the Omanthai check point, in consideration of prevailing security situation,” the letter said.
Security forces have been intensifying operations in the Vanni region and have entered the Kilinochchi district but there was no clear indication as to whether troops were any where close to seizing the town. Military officials have not given a time-frame for this exercise.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
 The Defence Ministry has ordered all INGOs and NGOs to vacate the Vanni region -- where heavy f...){kind=link}
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