Switzerland grants Rs.700 m for housing reconstruction

Switzerland has joined the Government's housing reconstruction programme in the tsunami affected areas by providing a grant of US $ 7 million (Rs. 700 million), the Finance Ministry said yesterday.

The grant funds will be used to provide cash grants to reconstruct fully or partly damaged houses located outside the coastal buffer zone.

Under the Government housing reconstruction programme household of a fully damaged house will receive a grant of Rs. 250,000 and household of a partly damaged house a grant of Rs. 100,000.

Matara and Trincomalee Districts have been identified for the cash grants provided by Switzerland. The funds will be channelled to the recipients through the Bank of Ceylon and the People's Bank.

Switzerland is the second donor to participate in the Government cash grant programme for housing reconstruction in the Tsunami affected areas. The World Bank, the first to join the Government housing reconstruction programme, provided US $ 40 million (Rs. 4 billion) under an Agreement signed on April 1, 2005.

The Agreement for the Swiss grant was signed yesterday at the Ministry of Finance and Planning. Bernardino Regazzoni, the Ambassador for Switzerland in Sri Lanka signed the Agreement on behalf of the Government of Switzerland and Dr. P.B. Jayasundera, Secretary, Ministry of Finance and Planning on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka.

Switzerland will also continue its ongoing reconstruction programme of schools in Matara and Jaffna. The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and other Swiss donors such as Swiss Solidarity and the Swiss Red Cross are funding the housing repair and reconstruction programme of the Government of Sri Lanka on a participatory scheme.

The funds cover the reconstruction and repair of approximately 4,000 fully or partially damaged houses in the Trincomalee and Matara districts.

All Tsunami affected households outside the restricted area (Buffer Zone) will be provided with phased cash grants to repair or rebuild their houses. The construction process will be managed by the families, while Switzerland will provide expertise through SDC.

Three experts each in Trincomalee and Matara will integrate local governmental bodies to implement the programme and exchange knowledge on the participatory reconstruction programmes.

Additional cash projects as Cash for Host families, Cash for Rent or Cash for Livelihood will be directly implemented by the SDC experts for cash programmes in the same districts with a total budget of US$ two million.

Switzerland has already started a school reconstruction programme in Matara, where SDC will reconstruct seven schools. The post-conflict rehabilitation programme in the North of the island, which Switzerland has been running for two years, is being continued. In the Jaffna Peninsula, SDC has already rebuilt 14 schools and will reconstruct one tsunami affected school.

With its post conflict school rehabilitation programme in Jaffna and the new programmes in Matara and Trincomalee, SDC will be present in three tsunami affected areas of the country.

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President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga participating in a public function in Sevanagala yesterday. Minister Sumedha Jayasena is also in the picture

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Passengers at the Fort Railway Station yesterday morning.

Rail strike ends

A lightning strike by railway controllers from Monday night which inconvenienced thousands of train commuters including schoolchildren and office workers yesterday morning ended late afternoon after Transport Minister Felix Perera intervened.

The operation of trains on all lines was disrupted on account of the strike and the few trains which operated arrived way behind schedule. However, railway services were due to resume yesterday evening.

The strike was launched by train controllers demanding the reinstatement of rail workers interdicted following an accident in Veyangoda last year. They included the engine driver, assistant engine driver, chief controller, deputy chief controller and a station master who worked at Trains Control.

All except the station master had earlier been reinstated.Minister Perera, who considered requests for the station master's reinstatement, discussed the issue with the Public Service Commission and facilitated his reinstatement. The controllers and station masters called off the strike and reported for duty after the letter was delivered.

Commenting on the strike, the Minister said this was the 103rd train strike he faced after assuming duties as the Transport Minister. He had to intervene to solve the strikes. He urged transport unions not to strike as they affect the travelling public.

During the strike yesterday, some trains were held up for several hours near signal posts due to their non-operation. Most office workers who could not attend places of work on time were seen hopping into buses to return home. `From Kelaniya to Dematagoda, six trains were seen halted in a line one after the other for lack of signals. Among them were Vavuniya-Matara and Kandy-Colombo express trains.

Some trains were held up across level crossings causing traffic jams along some highways.

The Railway Controllers Union said the strike was launched to protest the authorities' failure to reinstate the railway controller interdicted in connection with a railway accident at Veyangoda in November last year.

Sumathipala Manawadu, Convenor, Organisation for the Protection of Railway Property said most railway workers have denounced this trade union action launched by controllers saying it demeaned the status of trade unions and their activities.

General Manager of Railways, Priyal de Silva held discussions with representatives of the Railway Controllers Union yesterday noon to seek a solution prior to their meeting with the Minister.

Khalid

LTTE attacks Naval boat off Trinco coast

A Truce Monitor on board a Navy patrol boat in the sea off Trincomalee suffered injuries, as suspected LTTE cadres, in a deliberate ceasefire violation, fired at the boat yesterday morning, Military Spokesman Brigadier Daya Ratnayake told the Daily News yesterday.

The Navy boat on routine patrol came under LTTE fire around 9.52 a.m. in the sea off Upparu, in Trincomalee.

The Truce Monitor on board the Naval boat sustained injuries while running for cover.

"It was a deliberate attempt by the LTTE to provoke the Navy since the SLMM flag was clearly visible and there was every possibility that the LTTE knew about the presence of a SLMM monitor on board," Brigadier Ratnayake added.

The LTTE cadres had fired 75 to 100 rounds at the boat from the land side in Upparu, Brigadier Ratnayake added.

SLMM monitor Alf Stoelam sustained injuries during the incident, when running for cover, the Spokesman added.

The boat, damaged in the incident was later brought to the Sri Lanka Navy camp in Trincomalee.

SLMM spokesperson Helan Olaffsdottir told the Daily News that the SLMM was yet to conclude whether yesterday's attack was a violation of the ceasefire. "We are conducting forensic investigations on the Navy boat to ascertain where the shots were fired from."

She further added that they were in contact with the LTTE ascertain as to why they fired at the Navy boat adding that they have not given any ruling on the incident. She said the presence of the truce monitor on board the Navy boat doesn't make any change towards giving their ruling.

However, she said no one was injured in the incident.

Khalid

65 tsunami victims hospitalized after eating grain in Sri Lanka

Associated Press, Mon April 4, 2005 06:39 EDT . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) At least 65 tsunami victims, including 25 children, were hospitalized in Sri Lanka - after eating uncooked grain at a refugee camp, officials said Monday.

The tsunami survivors in eastern Muttur, 230 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, complained of dizziness and vomiting, said M. Shukri, director of the Muttur hospital.

``The patients had eaten some type of raw grain that needed to be boiled before consumption,'' he said.

They were hospitalized on Saturday. Some were discharged Sunday, while the rest were released on Monday, Shukri said.

Tens of thousands of people displaced by the Dec. 26 tsunami still remain in overcrowded camps and temporary shelters around the island. They are largely dependent on government aid.

Sri Lankan Rains Flood Tent Camps for Tsunami Survivors in East

April 4 (Bloomberg) -- Rains in Sri Lanka's eastern region caused flooding in tent camps housing thousands of people made homeless by the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed about 39,000 in the South Asian island nation.

``The tent floors are wet or flooded,'' A.K. Thavarajah, a relief official for the Batticaloa/Amparai district, said yesterday, according to a report on the TamilNet Web site. ``Mats and sheets on which refugee children sleep have got soggy with the unexpected rains.''

Hundreds of people are sheltering in buildings in Batticaloa that were used to store rice and are now in a dilapidated state with leaking roofs, TamilNet said.

Sri Lanka was the worst-hit country after Indonesia by the tsunami disaster. About 17,000 people were killed in the mainly Tamil north and eastern region. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which has been fighting for two decades for a separate homeland in the northeast, has accused the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga of failing to provide enough aid to rebel-held areas of the island of 19.7 million people, a charge the administration denies.

About half a million people were left homeless by the tsunami that devastated coastal towns and villages.

Sri Lanka needs $.1.5 billion in aid to recover from the disaster, the Asian Development Bank, the World bank and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation said last month. About $900 million has been committed to help Sri Lanka, the ADB said last month.

Damage from the tsunami threatens economic expansion that has benefited from a cease-fire in February 2002 that halted the civil war. Sri Lanka needs to rebuild 100,000 houses, as well as ports, hotels and roads.

Peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and the government, under the Norway brokered cease-fire, have been stalled since April 2003. The civil war has killed about 60,000 people.

Khalid

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Happy at school.

Children happy in class at a small village school on the East Coast near Kalmunai

65 tsunami victims hospitalized after eating grain in Sri Lanka

At least 65 tsunami victims, including 25 children, were hospitalized in Sri Lanka - after eating uncooked grain at a refugee camp, officials said Monday.

The tsunami survivors in eastern Muttur, 230 kilometers (140 miles) northeast of the capital, Colombo, complained of dizziness and vomiting, said M. Shukri, director of the Muttur hospital.

``The patients had eaten some type of raw grain that needed to be boiled before consumption,'' he said.

They were hospitalized on Saturday. Some were discharged Sunday, while the rest were released on Monday, Shukri said.

Tens of thousands of people displaced by the Dec. 26 tsunami still remain in overcrowded camps and temporary shelters around the island. They are largely dependent on government aid.


Sri Lankan Rains Flood Tent Camps for Tsunami Survivors in East

April 4 (Bloomberg) -- Rains in Sri Lanka's eastern region caused flooding in tent camps housing thousands of people made homeless by the Dec. 26 tsunami that killed about 39,000 in the South Asian island nation.

``The tent floors are wet or flooded,'' A.K. Thavarajah, a relief official for the Batticaloa/Amparai district, said yesterday, according to a report on the TamilNet Web site. ``Mats and sheets on which refugee children sleep have got soggy with the unexpected rains.''

Hundreds of people are sheltering in buildings in Batticaloa that were used to store rice and are now in a dilapidated state with leaking roofs, TamilNet said.

Sri Lanka was the worst-hit country after Indonesia by the tsunami disaster. About 17,000 people were killed in the mainly Tamil north and eastern region. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which has been fighting for two decades for a separate homeland in the northeast, has accused the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga of failing to provide enough aid to rebel-held areas of the island of 19.7 million people, a charge the administration denies.

About half a million people were left homeless by the tsunami that devastated coastal towns and villages.

Sri Lanka needs $.1.5 billion in aid to recover from the disaster, the Asian Development Bank, the World bank and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation said last month. About $900 million has been committed to help Sri Lanka, the ADB said last month.

Damage from the tsunami threatens economic expansion that has benefited from a cease-fire in February 2002 that halted the civil war. Sri Lanka needs to rebuild 100,000 houses, as well as ports, hotels and roads.

Peace talks between the Liberation Tigers and the government, under the Norway brokered cease-fire, have been stalled since April 2003. The civil war has killed about 60,000 people.

Khalid

Tsunami affected Indigenous orthopaedic hospital seeks assistance

THE Pallewela Veda Medura abutting the Galle Road at Katukurunda, Moratuwa, an orthopaedic nursing institute of indigenous medicine treating indoor and outdoor patients of all ethnic denominations was hit by the ruthless tsunami on December 26 last year.

Pallewela Veda Medura, Katukurunda, Moratuwa, in addition to treating orthopaedic patients was also the laboratory for the production of local medicine, ointments, and medicinal herbal plasters used in its outlets in Sirimavo Bandaranaike Mawatha, Colombo and at Hospital Road, Kalubowila, Dehiwala.

It also housed the special X'ray equipment to investigate orthopaedic ailments. Not only locals but even foreigners sought treatment at this nursing home under emergency circumstances such as road accidents.

The sudden tsunami invasion of December 26 which submerged over 3 and half feet high within the nursing home premises swept away not only the medical equipment and indigenous medicinal accessaries but even large stocks of herbal logs stored in the laboratory by private traders.

The items swept away included patients' beds, furniture, doors and windows, bed-spreads, television sets, brass cauldrons etc.

The owner of the indigenous nursing home, Dr.R.K.Vaidyaratna, who takes great pains to preserve the ancient medical system lamented that in spite of several representations made to numerous institutions for rehabilitation assistance in respect of this devastated medical institute, nothing positive has emerged so far.

He urges benefactors to come forward to assist him as he is rendering this social service very often free of charge and devoid of any motives to earn profit.

Khalid

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Tens of thousands of tsunami victims
still surviving in tents and other
temporary shelters were thrown into
more agony when heavy rain flooded
their makeshift camps.

Displaced families to receive relief coupons for two more months

Friday, April 1, 2005, 2:20 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Apr 01, Colombo: The Office of the Commissioner General of Essential Services says the government has decided to issue relief coupons to tsunami victims for two additional months.

Families already receiving coupons will be eligible to claim further assistance in this form, sources said.

At present, the Office of the Commissioner General has issued relief coupons at the rate of 32 per family for a period of four months. As announced by the government, 954,110 displaced families will now be given relief for six months. The issue of coupons, which began in February, will continue until July.

The cost of the relief, Rs. 3.6 billion per month, is being borne by the government. The total amount to be spent on relief coupons will be around Rs. 22.6 billion, sources said.

This includes a coupon for Rs. 375 per month per person. From this, one is able to get Rs. 200 in cash. The balance comes in the form of food items.

Khalid

Warning : landslides with monsoon!

Peradeniya University Geologists warned a possibility of more landslides in the central hilly areas during the monsoon period due to the shaken plates of earth as a result of the spate of earthquakes erupted in Sumatra in the recent past.

Prof. Kapila Dahanayake of the Peradeniya University told the Sunday Observer that certain parts of the country, specially the central hill have experienced tremors due to earthquakes in Sumatra.

He warns people to be cautious during the monsoon period as more cracks and fractures may have occurred in the central hills. "Therefore these areas are more vulnerable to landslides", he said. When asked how to identify signs of impending landslides, he said that people should immediately evacuate if they witness any unusual muddy and warm water, falling of nuts from coconut or other trees, turning of lamp and telephone posts to one side, and also cracks in the walls of houses.

Prof. Dahanayake also noted that so far there is no equipment in the world to exactly say the date, time and the place where an earthquake will occur. Present technology can only predict an earthquake, he added.

Members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Natural Disaster together with geologists on Thursday visited an area in Kandy which has earlier experienced an earthquake. Pahatha Hewahata Divisional Secretary Wimala Makuldeniya said that 101 families are living in a vulnerable area for earthquakes. She said that 31 families are living in the most vulnerable area in Waldabala which experienced a landslide in 1996.

When asked why the authorities have not taken steps to evacuate them, she said "earlier these people were given lands in Huruluwewa and Giradurukotte. All of them went there but after sometime many of them returned after selling those lands".

Chairman of the Select Committee Mahinda Samarasinghe MP said that the Select Committee report will propose to establish a National Centre to monitor natural disasters with the coordination of the Meteorological Department, Peradeniya University and Geological Survey and Mines Bureau.

Chairman Samarasinghe also said that new equipment should be acquired with foreign assistance and existing equipment maintained deploying trained personnel. Sighting an example he said that some equipment in the Peradeniya University has been malfunctioning during the last eight months due to the dearth of trained technicians to repair them. He said that the Select Committee report will be completed by the end of May. An Interim report will be released in April for public debate.

Khalid

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Bread rises from Rice

A team of Japanese experts showed how bread could be made with rice flour. They met the Minister of Agriculture Anura Dissnayaka at his ministry on Tuesday. They told the minister the bread baked with white and brown rice was as good as bread baked with wheat flour. Pictured is a member of the Japanese team of experts handing over a loaf of bread to the minister.

Immediate Rs.250,000 grant to owners of destroyed houses

THE Government has taken measures to immediately grant Rs.250,000 to families whose houses have been completely destroyed in the tsunami catastrophe, Finance and Planning Minister Dr.Sarath Amunugama told the media yesterday. Owners of partially damaged houses will receive Rs.100,000 each.

On a directive of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, Minister Amunugama has already instructed the People's Bank and the Bank of Ceylon to immediately provide this housing grant to the tsunami affected families to reconstruct their fully or partially damaged houses.

All the branches of the People's Bank and Bank of Ceylon in the tsunami stricken areas will be open on April 3 for the express purpose of providing funds to reconstruct houses beyond the 100 metre limit which are fully or partially damaged by the tsunami.

He said according to estimates nearly 60,000 houses damaged by the tsunami have to be reconstructed. "Of this 60,000, we presume that 30,000 houses will be accommodated under the project that the Government is launching on April 3," he told a news briefing.

Under this project all those whose houses were fully or partially damaged and located beyond the 100 metre limit will be entitled to a grant.

In a case of total destruction of a house, the owner will get a grant of Rs.250,000 which will be given in instalments with the first instalment being Rs.70,000. For partly damaged houses, it will be Rs.100,000 of which the first instalment is Rs.50,000.

"On April 3, we are inviting all those who fall into this category to the nearest bank where they already have a bank account in respect of the Rs.5,000 payment."

The first category will be those bringing a form which had been made available to them through the Divisional Secretary and the Grama Niladhari which had been issued by the TAFREN.

In the second category, this form is not fully perfected but there are certain parts filled. The third category will be for those who are not in possession of such a form but would receive it in the bank branch office and have it filled with the assistance of the bank manager and his staff.

"However all these three categories will be received by the branch bank manager. Nobody will be turned away. In order to test whether the application is genuine, the Disaster Management Team (DAT) of TAFREN had already inspected the houses and certified which are damaged fully or partially.

In addition, the Department of Census and Statistics have done a total survey and visited all these places and itemised the damage."

The Minister noted that even of all these documents are not fully completed, the victims can come to the branch offices on April 3.

The officers will help them to fill any areas which have not been filled up and they will accept it. They have time from April 3 to 8 to make sure that information is very viable in terms of what is there in the DAT report or the report of the Department of the Census and Statistics.

Finally on April 9, all those who have been now declared to eligible for these grants that is either Rs.250000 or Rs.10000 will be given a certificate which is called a confirmation of deposits. It means that the first instalment has been deposited in their bank account.

"If this program is done properly, from about April 8 or 9, about the half the number of people who need housing will be able to get resources to rebuild their houses and get them back to their normal life," he said.

A special discussion was held in this connection at the Finance Ministry on March 31 under Minister Amunugama's patronage. Ministry Secretary Dr. P. B. Jayasundera and Chairmen of the People's Bank and the Bank of Ceylon also attended the discussion.

Clear instructions will be sent by the General Managers of the two banks regarding the procedure that should be followed in respect of the Rs.250,000 grant. Each bank branch will display a banner calling for housing grant applications on April 3, Dr. Amunugama said.

The Minister noted that 10,000 copies of the requisite forms were despatched yesterday to the General Managers of the two banks - 7,000 copies to the People's Bank and 3,000 copies to the Bank of Ceylon.

From April 3 to 8, the branch managers will process them to expedite disbursements The two banks will launch an information campaign during this period on the payment stages and the categorisation of fully and partially damaged houses which will help them to understand the exact category under which they can receive grants.

Khalid

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A renewed thirst for learning is seen among children. Here a little girl at the feet of her mother brushing up on her studies. The Government is currently having a primary education program in all schools.

Special plan to protect train commuters

The Transport Ministry is formulating a special plan to ensure the safety of railway commuters and property at a time of a tsunami.

Accordingly, trains operating on railway lines close to the sea will be taken to protected places as soon as they are notified of an impending disaster.

Transport Minister Felix Perera who met officials of the Railways Department yesterday directed them to earmark the safest spots on railway lines and keep the Railway Main Control Room informed of such places. The Minister has also directed the General Manager of Railways to appoint a committee to look into other feasible measures to protect commuters at a time of a tsunami or similar disaster.

"We have to ensure that what happened on December 26 does not repeat itself. To achieve that, the Railways Department should lay down a specific procedure to be followed during a tsunami. Co-ordination between responsible officials is essential to make decisions during such situations," the Minister said.

Minister Perera also stressed the need for a special program to protect railway workshops in coastal areas from tsunami waves.

"Following Monday's tsunami warning the authorities took swift measures to suspend train operations on the coastal railway line, take seven trains to safe places and close down railway stations," he said commending the efficiency of Department.

Over 1,500 people were killed on December 26 last year when the tsunami waves hit a Matara-bound train at Peraliya, Telwatta.

Khalid

Masive crowd in the Ismaic Conference in kattankudy held on 18.03.2005

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Proper tsunami warning system could have prevented chaos - Experts

Monday night's stampede and chaos in coastal areas in the wake of the tsunami threat following the massive earthquake off Sumatra islands could have been prevented if there had been an elaborate tsunami warning system for the Indian Ocean.

Peradeniya University Geological Department Head Prof. Kapila Dahanayake said: "If there was a system like in the Pacific ocean where they gauge water levels with hundreds of satellite connected sensors in the deep sea and with floating buoys, an accurate reading of a tsunami could have been issued."

"This is a good wake-up call for Sri Lanka. It shows the urgent need for a proper tsunami warning system," he added.

The tsunami warning issued by the US Geological Survey following the 8.7 magnitude earthquake in Banda Aceh region, at 11.09 pm (Indonesia time) sent hundreds of residents in the coastal stretch fleeing for life. Sri Lanka picked up the warning widely covered in the International media and an evacuation alert was issued in minutes.

However, he said this was a good exercise for Sri Lankans to gauge the response of the administrative structure and the preparedness of people to deal with such a situation in the absence of an effective warning system.

Prof. Dahanayake said there was no system to measure water levels in the Indian Ocean. "Thus, making an accurate warning on whether the earthquake has actually triggered a killer wave is not possible. The tsunami is not visible in the deep sea. This was why a pre-warning had to be issued."

Monday's earthquake which recorded 8.7 points on the Richter scale possessed all attributes that could have triggered a killer wave - the magnitude was more than 7.5 on the richter scale and the depth was 30 kilometres (less than 100 kilometres) below the sea bed.

He said the motions of the quake would have been the reason for the absence of a tsunami. An earthquake must create vertical motions to trigger a tsunami. The December 26 earthquake recorded 9.2 on the Richter scale. It originated from an epicentre 10 kilometres below the seabed.

Discussions are on to set up an early warning system in the Indian Ocean with Sri Lanka and India actively taking part in the negotiations.

France, Japan and several other countries have extended their support to set up this system following the Boxing Day tsunami that killed more than 300,000 in 11 countries in the Indian Ocean rim.

The Met Department and Geological Survey and Mines Bureau officials attended a meeting held in Paris recently in this regard.

Khalid

Relief on migration to Canada for the tsunami affected

With the tidal waves destroying most of the coastal areas in Sri Lanka as well as in many other surrounding countries in the Indian Ocean, the whole world turned their eyes to the region for days following the disaster. I for one was glued to the TV almost all day during the holidays following Christmas, switching between different international news channels, and watching in disbelief, the catastrophe that shook South Asia.

I read with an aching heart an internet article written by a British volunteer medical student of Sri Lankan origin about the situation in the Mullativu hospital, the helpless situation of residents of Galle in down south, and about entire beach resort hotels being washed away along with staff and guests in many places along the coastline of the island.

These are only a few of the horror stories, which emerged following one of the greatest natural disasters the world has ever known.

I know that many Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents personally know people who were affected by this horrific disaster and to them I send my most heartfelt condolences.

On a positive note, it was heartwarming to watch the response of humankind as a whole to the diaster, with so many offering their energy, time, and money, to try to assist those affected.

Aid and donations from governments and private persons alike were flowing to the affected areas from both near and far. One can only hope that this spirit of helping those in need continues unabated as South Asia recovers from the disaster.

In response to the situation, the Canadian government immediately announced changes to its Immigration Program in order to offer relief to tsunami-affected family members of Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents following the diaster. Various relief measures were announced and information about these relief measures have bene posted on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website (www.cic.gc.ca) with foll free numbers set up to contact for assistance.

One of the changes announced by the government is that all Family Class sponsorship applications and applications of Dependants of Refugees who were affected by the disaster will now be fast tracked.

As well, if a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident who has a relative in the Tsunami affected areas that falls within the definition of a member of the Family Class (such as parent, grand-parent, spouse, child, orphaned niece or nephew, etc) and if you wish to sponsor your Family Class relative, such cases too will be processed on a priority basis.

Moreover, in cases where your relative does not fall within the definition of Family Class (for example an adult sister or brother, etc.) they may make an application for permanent residence in Canada on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds provided that their Canadian relative is willing and able to provide an undertaking of financial support.

Finally, another form of relief granted by Citizenship and Immigration Canada is that tsunami affected applications and sponsorships will be fee exempted.

While anybody can make an application on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds, the CIC website stresses that applicants must meet certain criteria to merit consideration for special relief. Such criteria require that the applicant be directly, personally and significantly affected by the disaster.

A word of caution however for the interested applicants. I expect that the Canadian High Commission will be carefully scrutinizing the applications of persons who claim to have been personally and significantly affected by the disaster.

I also expect that the High Commission will be taking steps to verify the authenticity of every piece of information provided in support of such claims. As there is a lot of fraud involved in the immigration industry and as there are unscrupulous individuals waiting to capitalize on times such as now, the Canadian High Commission will be extra careful to keep fake claims at bay.

The disaster undoubtedly was unprecedented. Don't you think the response from the world at large was unprecedented too?

For more information, you may surf the Citizenship and Immigration website.

Khalid

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A fearful night is over

A man returns to his humble shack carrying his meagre belongings after spending the night away from the Dehiwela beach following Monday’s earthquake off Sumatra that triggered panic across South East Asia.