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President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga who directed her personal attention to the grievances of the Tamils who are in great inconvenience to travel between Colombo and Jaffna via Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai has acquired the ship for this purpose in consultation with a private shipping company. Although the Government has taken steps to provide travel facilities for Tamil people to travel between Colombo and Jaffna, it is still not fully operational because the LTTE has not given its consent. As a result Tamils in the North are facing serious difficulties. Only ordinary passengers will be permitted to travel in this ship. It will not be used to carry any service personnel or goods for the use of the Armed Services, a senior official said. A certificate has to be obtained from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to the effect that this ship is reserved for ordinary passengers. After lengthy discussions between the Government and the ICRC, the ship is now flying the Red Cross Flag. The ICRC has given this certificate to the ship after it was examined by International Red Cross officials in Geneva. Every trip the ship makes will be subject to strict supervision by the Red Cross. Although an agreement has been signed between the Government and the ICRC in this regard, the agreement of the LTTE also has to be obtained in writing for the ship to commence operations. Although the ICRC has been trying to obtain the agreement of the LTTE for over a month, it has not been given by the LTTE. Therefore, this vessel has been lying at anchor for a long period.
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