Australian Relief Worker in Northern Sri Lanka

Richard Schmidt, an Australian technical adviser with the trade union-based Norwegian Peoples Aid de-mining program will return soon to his home in the Tamil areas of northern Sri Lanka to help manage emergency efforts and begin the process of rebuilding in devastated coastal communities.

Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA, the humanitarian aid agency of the ACTU since 1984, is one of the Australian agencies with appeals for donations for the victims of the tsunami in northern and southern Sri Lanka and in Acheh. Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA is providing assistance in northern Sri Lanka through Norwegian Peoples Aid, since both are affiliates of SOLIDAR, the international alliance of trade union-based aid agencies.

Richard has been working on a mine clearance program based in Kilinochchi in Northern Sri Lanka since 2002. This program employs 600 local staff, many of whom have been directly affected by the tsunami.

The Norwegian Peoples Aid team immediately began transporting wounded to hospitals and assisting with water and food to the displaced people. Now they are supporting camps for 23000 people who lost everything in the tsunami in Pallai and Mullaitivu.

Relief efforts in Sri Lanka need to take into account the impact of many years of conflict between the northern Tamil communities and the government in Colombo. According to Richard, they have already begun to rebuild in the worst affected communities, but restoring livelihoods through fishing will require extensive resources.

Sharan Burrow, President of the ACTU affirms "already there has been a tremendous and generous response to this tragedy by workers and unions in Australia, but we know this is not a just a short-term engagement. We're committed to working alongside working people in months to come in sustained efforts to re-house families and rebuild their livelihoods".

Richard is available to speak to the media. He is in Sydney this week and in Melbourne from the 17th January 2005 for a couple of days before returning to northern Sri Lanka. Please cpntact Peter Jennings at APHEDA on 1800 888 674 if you wish to contact him.

For comments by Sharan Burrow contact her via the ACTU on 03 9663 5266.

For information on the role of Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA contact Peter Jennings at 1800 888 674.

Donations can be made to the work of Union Aid Abroad in Sri Lanka and in Acheh online at www.apheda.org.au or by calling 1800 888 674.

© Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA 2003.
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Last Modified: Wednesday, 16-Nov-2005 16:05:18 EST
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