UNHCR to open local relief stockpiles in Lanka

It would be done to deliver immediate emergency assistance to victims of Sunday's devastating tsunamis in Sri Lanka.

The UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) is opening up its local relief stockpiles in Sri Lanka to deliver immediate emergency assistance to victims of Sunday's devastating tsunami, which left thousands of dead, injured and displaced on the island state.

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"The magnitude of this disaster is so enormous and shocking that we will do everything we can to join the international community in bringing help as rapidly as possible to the victims of these gigantic waves. Our supplies are usually for displaced people, but this is an emergency and the local population needs help right now," UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Ruud Lubbers, said.

UNHCR will provide plastic sheeting (18,000), plastic mats (17,000), rope, and non-food relief packages for 2,000 families. Those packages include cooking sets, plastic jerry cans, mosquito nets and clothing.

Stichting Vluchteling, a Dutch non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works closely with UNHCR on refugee programmes, has told the agency that it would cover at least 200,000 USD of approximately 280,000 USD cost of the relief items through its special fund-raising efforts for the disaster victims.

At an emergency meeting with the government and other United Nations agencies on Monday morning in Colombo, it was decided that UNHCR would concentrate on delivering relief items to the former conflict-affected area in the east of the country, where it has offices and access.

Overall, UNHCR has seven offices in Sri Lanka, where it has worked for nearly two decades, helping displaced populations as well as returning refugees.