90% IDPs resettled in North - Bhune

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90% IDPs resettled in North - Bhune

UN Resident and Country Representative Neil Bhune stated that 90% of the IDPs in the North had been resettled and that resettlement should be complete within the coming months.
He was addressing at a ceremony held to commemorate World Humanitarian Day yesterday (19 Aug).
'We hope that future humanitarian work will only be needed for people who are affected by natural disasters', he said.
He added that there were many development activities that had been done by the UN during the previous year in Sri Lanka which include the controlling of disease outbreak in the Menik Farm, the reduction of malnutrition in children under five, 2% of which had remained stable since then and the registration of over 57,000 students in the newly opened schools in the North, Daily Mirror reported.
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa addressing the gathering sought international assistance to resettle the people, mainly the Muslims, displaced over 20 years ago in the Northwest due to the LTTE atrocities.
Minister Rajapaksa also said the Sri Lankan Government and the UN had different opinions on some matters but were able to overcome this as the goal had been to resettle IDPs.
The Minister added that there had been a misunderstanding between them when the government built semi-permanent houses at IDP centres.
'Everyone thought we were going to keep them there for years but now that they have understood our intentions we have moved on', he said.
He added that the government would like to keep aside its differences of opinion with the UN and work together in the future to achieve the final target of sustainable peace and development. Minister Rajapaksa also thanked the UN, the donor countries and other Non-Governmental Organizations on behalf of the government for the humanitarian support extended to Sri Lanka following the war and especially, after the tsunami.
"I don't think we could have achieved what we have achieved at this moment without the help of all humanitarian workers and the UN organization," he said.
Courtesy : Priu.lk