There are still nearly 82000 left in camps including Manik Farm says the UNHCR. Another 11000 are staying with friends/relatives in Vavuniya, Mannar.!

7000 IDPs return to Vanni


UNHCR says 7000 IDPs were resettled in Vanni, last week

Nearly 7000 internally displaced people (IDPs) return to Kilinoichchi and Mullaitivu districts after the last week's resumption of resettlement, the UNHCR said.
The resetlement was temporarily halted for three weeks for parliamentary elections as well as the Sinhala and Tamil New Year celebrations.

UNHCR spokesperson Helene Caux told BBC sandeshaya that some 207,000 IDPs have left camps in the north and east of the country since the organized return process began in August last year.

There are still nearly 82000 left in camps including Manik Farm says the UNHCR. Another 11000 are staying with friends and relatives in Vavuniya, Mannar, Jaffna and other districts.

To assist the returning IDPs to rebuild their lives, the UNHCR is providing each returning family with a shelter cash grant of 25,000 rupees ($US 220 ) through the state Bank of Ceylon, Ms. Caux said.

More than 40,000 families had already received the cash grant by March.

The UNHCR was forced to temporarily suspend the assistance last month due to a funding shortfall, but the spokesperson said will be restarting the shelter cash grants by the end of the week.

bbc.co.uk/sinhala