British celebrities, MPs and Health professionals will gather for the launch and signing ceremony in Central London, Tuesday 31 March, 2009 between 13.00 - 16.00
Act Now, Tamil Health Organisation (THO), Tamil Aid, White Pigeon, Technical Association of Tamils (TAOT) and The Tamil Support Foundation (TTSF), TSSA, Hindu Temples and Churches are preparing to send more than 500 tons of food, medicine and medical teams to help the civilians in the Vanni affected by the ongoing war in Sri Lanka. This mission aims to provide desperately needed medical supplies for thousands of sick and injured people, and raise awareness of the suffering of the civilians in the conflict zone.
Dr T. Varatharajah, a senior Sri Lankan health official in the region where the conflict is taking place, says that the last major medical facility in the ‘Safe Zone’ territory has almost stopped functioning due to a medicine shortage.
The mission will deliver a wide range of medicines, from pain-killers, antibiotics and anaesthetic drugs and food supplies to the civilians being denied humanitarian assistance in northern Sri Lanka, where a quarter of a million people are trapped by the fighting. A professional medical team hopes to join the mission at the last port and travel to the shores of Mullaitivu. The supplies have been donated at various collection centres throughout London and from other British cities, and the trip is being funded by the generosity of British supporters and others throughout the world.
The Vanni Mission ship will bring life saving supplies into the region, but our work doesn’t stop there, we will continue to call attention to the situation in Sri Lanka until this war against its own civilians is stopped?”
In the meantime, Sri Lankan Defence sources stated that they have received information on a ship carrying the International Red Cross emblem about to sail to Sri Lanka from Britain carrying 2,000 tons of food.
A senior naval officer warned on attacks on the vessel if it tried to enter Srilankan territorial waters and added they had the right to do so.
A spokesman from the Tamil organisation has stated this ship would enter the Mullaithivu territory even if objected by Srilanka.
Meanwhile naval officers were making inquiries on the owner of this vessel from the international Lloyd’s organisation.
If this is the situation for food, what Tamil rights we could expect from the Sri Lankan Government, lamented Tamil Diaspora
