Families sheltering at the Muttur Pattithidal Maha Vidyalayam relief camp in Trincomalee have condemned the Sri Lankan government’s response to the worsening disaster, saying that no senior officials or military personnel had visited them despite repeated state assurances of coordinated relief.
Batticaloa MP Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, who visited the site, said residents raised “serious concerns” about the absence of state authorities at a time when the government continued to claim that cooked meals and essential aid would be delivered and that the army had taken responsibility for managing relief centres.
In reality, camp residents told him, only the Grama Sevaka and the Development Officer had been present on the ground.
Amid rising frustration, survivors said it was the local government representatives from the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) who reached them by boat and ensured that food was delivered, claimed Rasamanickam. Many also expressed anger that the government had not provided drinking water, even days into the crisis.
The Trincomalee district remains badly affected by Cyclone Ditwah, as across the island there is growing criticism of the government’s inadequate warning systems, lack of Tamil-language communication, and the slow deployment of relief operations as floods and landslides continue to cut off entire villages.