URGENT ALERT: Sri Lanka sabotages tsunami relief in Muslim and Tamil provinces by unleashing sluice gates

6 January 2005

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Islamic Human Rights Commission
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URGENT ALERT: Sri Lanka sabotages relief in Muslim and Tamil province of Muttur by unleashing sluice gates

The relief supply to tsunami victims in the Muslim and Tamil majority provinces of Muttur and Eachchilampathu has come to a grinding halt as the only land route, the Kantalai- Allai road, is flooded with spill water of a Kantalai tank after the irrigation authorities suddenly opened the spill gates without any prior notice on Friday 31st December 2004.

Muttur was the first province to get hit by the tsunami in Sri Lanka and remains the tsunami\’s most highly devastated province.
Several lorries taking relief materials to tsunami victims returned to Kantalai Friday evening due to the intense flooding. The lorries are now stranded in the Kantalai Divisional Secretariat office premises.
Another 38 Tamil families residing at Mulliayadi in Thampalakamam divisional secretariat were shifted to Puddukudiruppu, after their lands and houses were flooded with spill water of the Kantalai tank.
Until Thursday 30th December, groups of persons suspected to be supporters of a political party, which has its base in the south, had been gathering at Kantalai and had been engaged in stopping all vehicles transporting relief materials to Muttur areas on the pretext that enough relief had gone to Muttur and subsequently diverting them to other areas where the majority community resided.
IHRC urges all campaigners to immediately contact their local Sri Lankan embassy and demand that aid be immediately distributed to all affected areas and people without discrimination.

HE Mr. Faisz Musthapha
High Commissioner
Sri Lanka High Commission
No.13 Hyde Park Gardens
London
W2 2LU

Tel: (44) 020 7262 1841
Fax: (44) 020 7262 7970
Email: mail@slhc.globalnet.co.uk

The contact details for other Sri Lankan embassies and high commissions around the world can be found at

http://www.immigration.gov.lk/html/diplomatic_reps/high_comsns_embasies.html

Please also contact the foreign minister of your country and demand that they raise this issue with their Sri Lankan counterparts without delay.

Sample letters may be found below.

[Your Name]
[Your Address]

[Date]

HE Mr. Faisz Musthapha
High Commissioner
Sri Lanka High Commission
No.13 Hyde Park Gardens
London
W2 2LU

Dear Mr. Musthapha:

RE: Diversion of tsunami relief aid from Muttur

I am writing to express my outrage at the negligent behaviour and actions of the Sri Lankan authorities which has resulted in life-saving relief being prevented from reaching victims of the tsunami disaster in the Muslim and Tamil majority provinces of Muttur and Eachchilampathu. It has been reported that the Sri Lankan irrigation authorities opened sluice gates without warning last Friday 31st December 2004 thereby flooding the only land route Kantalai- Allai to Muttur and Eachilampathu where the tsunami has caused the greatest devastation.
It has also been reported that until Thursday 30th December 2004, groups of persons suspected to be supporters of a political party, which has its base in the south, had been gathering at Kantalai and had been engaged in stopping all vehicles transporting relief materials to Muttur areas on the pretext that enough relief had gone to Muttur and subsequently diverting them to other areas where the majority community resided.

If these reports are true, the Sri Lankan government must be ashamed of itself. At a time when the whole world has united together in its efforts to minimise the suffering of the victims of the tsunami disaster, this behaviour shocks the conscience.

Delays in distributing food, water and medicines are causing mounting deaths. I demand you to abide by your international law obligations and allow aid to be immediately distributed to all affected areas and people without discrimination. I also would appreciate a full explanation about these reports.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

___________________

[Your Name]

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[Your Name]
[Your Address]

[Date]

Rt. Hon. Jack Straw MP
Foreign & Commonwealth Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH

Dear Mr. Straw:

RE: Sri Lankan diversion of tsunami relief aid from Muttur district

I am writing out of deep concern about the distribution of critical relief aid to victims of the tsunami disaster in the Sri Lankan province of Muttur.

It has been reported that the Sri Lankan irrigation authorities opened sluice gates without warning on Friday 31st December 2004, thereby flooding the only land route Kantalai- Allai to the Muslim and Tamil majority provinces of Muttur and Eachilampathu where the tsunami has caused the greatest devastation.
It has also been reported that until Thursday 30th December 2004, groups of persons suspected to be supporters of a political party, which has its base in the south, had been gathering at Kantalai and had been engaged in stopping all vehicles transporting relief materials to Muttur areas on the pretext that enough relief had gone to Muttur and subsequently diverting them to other areas where the majority community resided.
If these reports are true, the Sri Lankan government must be ashamed of itself. At a time when the whole world has united together in its efforts to minimise the suffering of the victims of the tsunami disaster, this behaviour shocks the conscience.

Delays in distributing food, water and medicines are causing mounting deaths. I demand you to abide by your international law obligations and allow aid to be immediately distributed to all affected areas and people without discrimination. I also would appreciate a full explanation about these reports.

Delays in distributing food, water and medicines are causing mounting deaths. I urge the British government to use all its influence to demand that the Sri Lankan government abide by its international law obligations, particularly in this catastrophic time allow aid to be distributed to all affected areas and people without discrimination.

I look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience,

Sincerely,

___________________

[Your Name]

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Holy Qur’an: Chapter 4, Verse 75

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