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'India helps, other countries talk'
P K BalachandranFirst Published : 12 Mar 2009 02:04:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 12 Mar 2009 02:35:07 AM ISTCOLOMBO: India helps Sri Lanka in concrete terms, while other countries only make statements and give unwanted advice on what Sri Lanka should do, says the Sri Lankan health minister, Nimal Sripala de Silva.
The minister, who sent off an Indian medical team to Pulmoddai in Trincomalee district, to serve the sick and wounded Tamil civilians from the northern war-zone, said that the setting up of the 50-bed Indian field hospital in Pulomddai was evidence of Indias concern for the plight of the Tamil civilians who were being held hostage and used as a human shield by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Other countries only issue statements and tell us to do this and that. But India does nothing of this sort. It renders concrete help, de Silva said in an apparent help comparison with the countries of the West.
Sri Lanka was very grateful to the government and the people of India for the timely help, he said referring to the field hospital.
Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad said that the Indian government was providing all the facilities and medicines to the hospital in Pulmoddai.
The Indian team of 52 personnel, including eight specialists and surgeons, is led by Dr Vasanth Kumar. It would be in Sri Lanka initially for one month, but could stay longer if there was a need for it, Prasad said. The hospital is expected to start functioning from March 13.
A source in the Eastern Provincial government said that the medical facilities were getting very badly stretched, and patients had to be taken to Polannaruwa. There was a plan to take some to Batticaloa, too, but the defence ministry felt that this could be a security risk. It was at this juncture that a request was made to India to set up a special hospital for the internally displaced persons.
Refugees coming from LTTE-controlled areas to the government-held side have told the authorities that the Tigers had shot or hacked to death people fleeing to areas held by the Sri Lankan army.
P K BalachandranFirst Published : 12 Mar 2009 02:04:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 12 Mar 2009 02:35:07 AM ISTCOLOMBO: India helps Sri Lanka in concrete terms, while other countries only make statements and give unwanted advice on what Sri Lanka should do, says the Sri Lankan health minister, Nimal Sripala de Silva.
The minister, who sent off an Indian medical team to Pulmoddai in Trincomalee district, to serve the sick and wounded Tamil civilians from the northern war-zone, said that the setting up of the 50-bed Indian field hospital in Pulomddai was evidence of Indias concern for the plight of the Tamil civilians who were being held hostage and used as a human shield by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Other countries only issue statements and tell us to do this and that. But India does nothing of this sort. It renders concrete help, de Silva said in an apparent help comparison with the countries of the West.
Sri Lanka was very grateful to the government and the people of India for the timely help, he said referring to the field hospital.
Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad said that the Indian government was providing all the facilities and medicines to the hospital in Pulmoddai.
The Indian team of 52 personnel, including eight specialists and surgeons, is led by Dr Vasanth Kumar. It would be in Sri Lanka initially for one month, but could stay longer if there was a need for it, Prasad said. The hospital is expected to start functioning from March 13.
A source in the Eastern Provincial government said that the medical facilities were getting very badly stretched, and patients had to be taken to Polannaruwa. There was a plan to take some to Batticaloa, too, but the defence ministry felt that this could be a security risk. It was at this juncture that a request was made to India to set up a special hospital for the internally displaced persons.
Refugees coming from LTTE-controlled areas to the government-held side have told the authorities that the Tigers had shot or hacked to death people fleeing to areas held by the Sri Lankan army.