An Indian ship carrying 1,700 tonnes of relief assistance for Tamil civilians displaced in the North arrived in the Colombo harbor, media reports said citing Indian diplomats.

Indo Asia News Agency said according to the Indian diplomats, the Indian Shipping Corporation ship Contijork, carrying the first consignment of relief assistance, arrived in the Colombo harbor late Saturday.

International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sri Lanka will distribute the relief supplies in cooperation with the Sri Lankan government to those in need of food and shelter in the Wanni.

ICRC earlier said that the essential food and other items which India hopes to dispatch to Wanni region are in accordance with international standards.

ICRC hopes to dispatch these items among the displaced in Wanni with the assistance of the government agents of the respective districts.

The 1,700 tonnes of relief assistance that came in 100 containers will be unloaded starting Monday, according to an Indian official.

The shipment of relief materials from India was resulted following the discussions senior presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa had with India's external affairs minister, national security advisor and foreign secretary during his New Delhi visit last month.

Courtesy - Lanka Page