Commissioner General of Essential Services and Presidential Advisor S. B. Divaratne yesterday said the Government had taken all steps to dispatch food and medicine regularly to the displaced in the Vanni. The first convoy of 50 lorries from Vavuniya left last morning loaded with relief packs gifted by the Government of India.

He said Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa was very concerned about the needs of the displaced Tamil civilians and was in constant contact with him. He also wanted relief delivered for the 354 displaced Tamil civilians who had entered the cleared area of Vavuniya.

Divaratne said the relief convoy was accompanied by representatives of the ICRC and the packs would be distributed among displaced with the help of Government Agents.

ICRC spokesperson Sarasi Wijeratne confirmed that 50 trucks carrying 35,000 food parcels left for the Kilinochchi district yesterday.

She said that the entire consignment had reached Vavuniya and will be stored in the GAs warehouses pending distribution to 40,000 displaced families in Kilinochchi district and 40,000 displaced families in the Mullaitivu district.

Commissioner Divaratne praised Government Agent Vavuniya Mrs P. S.M. Charles for a good job she is doing under difficult circumstances.

He said a convoy of 20 lorries had left Vavuniya last Friday November (28) for distribution among the displaced civilians in the Mullaitivu district under the supervision of GA Mrs Emelda Sukumar.

On December (4) Thursday another convoy of 55 lorries of the World Food Programme (WFP) with 5 lorries of the UNHCR and UNICEF with food and non food items are scheduled to leave for Oddisuddan.

On the same day another convoy of 20 lorries is scheduled to leave for Kilinochchi for distribution by Government Agent S. Vethanayagam