CHENNAI: The resettlement process currently on in Sri Lanka cannot move forward without India’s assistance and the country can do more to help the thousands who have been rendered orphans or widows or have been otherwise victimised, Rt Rev Daniel S Thiagarajah has said.
The Bishop of Jaffna Diocese, who was in Chennai for the two-day visit of the Archbishop of Canterbury, talking exclusively to TOI on Tuesday, said the people of the island nation had suffered long enough and “careful planning is needed for the resettlement” effort.
“India has contributed so much to the rebuilding and being a good neighbour I hope help will keep coming,” said Thiagarajah. He lauded India’s assistance in setting up of the rail network which has proved to a boon to the people and has eased their woes.
He said the church of south India in Jaffna had set up a centre for holistic healing for the victims. “The aim is to rehabilitate people, reconstruct and revitalise shattered lives.”
He said that the church was focusing on the entire country at large. “We are all one people. Ahead of us is a challenging task of rehabilitation of our people who have gone through one of the darkest periods in our history. There are a number of people have lost their limbs in the war. Many who owned flourishing agricultural land which was their main occupation cannot grow anything now as the explosives have damaged the land.”
Jaffna bishop: India needs to do more in rebuilding Lanka