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Sri Lankan tsunami survivors paint the town red ... and purple, and blue
25 Oct 2005 Almost all the more than 200,000 Sri Lankans left homeless by last December's tsunami have now been accommodated in so-called "transitional shelters" - a sort of half-way house between emergency accommodation and permanent new housing which will take a few more years to complete. Some of them are treating their new temporary homes with both imagination and respect. -
Sri Lankan tsunami victims get new temporary homes
8 Apr 2005 Tsunami-displaced families in Ampara district in eastern Sri Lanka started getting new homes on Thursday as the UN refugee agency handed over 42 temporary houses in Kalmunai as part of a pilot housing project. The task of providing temporary homes has been made more urgent with the onset of the monsoon rains which are forcing some displaced people out of their tents and into temples, churches and schools. -
Italian concert raises euros 1m for Sri Lanka's conflict and tsunami victims
22 Mar 2005 A star-studded concert featuring Italian artistes like Andrea Bocelli, Claudio Baglioni and Zucchero has raised 1 million euros for the UN refugee agency's assistance to people affected by the conflict and tsunami in Sri Lanka. -
UNHCR calls for access, transparency after Lampedusa deportations
18 Mar 2005 Yesterday's deportation of some 180 people from Italy's Lampedusa island to Libya has raised deep concerns from the UN refugee agency, which has appealed to the Italian authorities for more access and transparency. -
UNHCR outlines post-tsunami role in Sri Lanka
4 Feb 2005 UNHCR's Asia Pacific bureau director, Janet Lim, has stated that the refugee agency will continue to assist conflict- and tsunami-displaced people in the north and east, with a shorter-term relief role in the south. She also emphasised the need for proper registration to better target aid. -
Getting aid from the warehouse to the homeless in Sri Lanka
19 Jan 2005 Overcoming bumpy roads, broken bridges, security checkpoints and other logistical logjams, UNHCR in Sri Lanka brings shelter and non-food relief items to the displaced people who need them most. -
Consult Sri Lanka's displaced people before move, urges UNHCR
11 Jan 2005 The Sri Lankan government has announced plans to clear all temporary accommodation centres by January 20. The UN refugee agency has urged it to involve the tsunami-displaced in relocation plans, and is working with the Human Rights Commission to restore their personal and property documents. -
UNHCR airlift arrives in Sri Lanka with 60 tonnes of relief aid
10 Jan 2005 The UN refugee agency in Colombo has received 60 tonnes of relief supplies from its warehouse in Copenhagen. The 10,000 pieces of plastic sheeting and five portable warehouses will go a long way to helping hundreds of thousands of displaced people in Sri Lanka. -
UNHCR sends aid to "lost" village in eastern Sri Lanka
5 Jan 2005 As the refugee agency steps out of its usual role to help tsunami victims in Sri Lanka, a local UNHCR finance officer works tirelessly to bring emergency shelter to a village where more than 4,000 people spent a week sleeping outdoors, pounded mercilessly by seasonal rains.