Essential Services Commissioner S. B. Divaratne believes that the actual number of civilians trapped in the LTTE held Vanni east of the A9 road is lower than the figures quoted by senior government officials based in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.

He said that there was an attempt to use the vexed issue of internally displaced persons as a tool to undermine the government.

Divaratne asserted that officials would provide exaggerated figures to draw large stocks of supplies from the government and the WFP as in this case of Vakarai.

The liberation of the township revealed the discrepancy between the numbers of displaced regularly cited by government officials and the actual number at the time the area was brought under control, he said.

Addressing last Thursday’s post-Cabinet press briefing at the Information Department, Divaratne said that the officials in charge of the Vanni displaced may be giving inaccurate figures for which he would not blame them. He was fully aware of the difficulties they faced.

Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said that the LTTE wouldn’t hesitate to collect a part of the supplies for its use. UN agencies and INGOs have estimated the number of internally displaced persons at 230,000.

Divaratne criticised the UN and WFP for being reluctant to take a food convoy to Oddussudan via on the Omanthai entry/exit point, Puliyankulam and Nedunkerni. The 50 lorry convoy was leave on October 10 carrying 750 metric tonnes of food items and medicine on the route recommended by the army, he said.

After much haggling, the UN/WFP had dispatched the convoy from Vavuniya on Friday (17) morning and it reached Oddussudan by the evening. The UN yesterday said that the lorries returned to Vavuniya after unloading the entire stock.

An attempt to reach Oddussudan failed on the previous day when firing of heavy weapons forced the convoy to turn back. Although Divaratne accused the LTTE of firing in the direction of the convoy, the UN asserted the disruption was caused by the heavy weapons fire but stopped short by blaming either the government or the LTTE.

Divaratne said that the first UN/WFP convoy moved 750 metric tonnes of supplies on October 3. According to him, the government on its own dispatched 20 lorries carrying 300 metric tonnes of flour on October 14.

"We were forced to act fast after UN/WFP declined to take the second convoy," he said, emphasizing that the government was determined to meet the challenge.