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Attack
on Halo Trust: full report awaited On Friday the EU head office in Brussels had been informed by the EU Commission in Colombo of the act of vandalism perpetrated on the Halo Trust. The organisation which deals with mine clearing was initially estimated to have suffered a loss of US dollars 1.2 billion when masked men attacked the office and damaged over 34 vehicles belonging to the organisation last Thursday. However Halo Trust officials said on Friday that the loss was only US dollars 50,000. The bulk of the financial assistance for the program comes from the EU. The organisation which has been based in Jaffna since June 2002 has removed over 25,000 mines from the Jaffna region. Over two hundred persons have been employed by the organisation for mine clearing activities. "We have received communication from Brussels informing us that further information with regard to the attack is being awaited. We, in turn, are waiting for the investigations here to be completed so that we could provide complete details", an EU spokesperson said on Friday adding that no formal statement regarding the incident had yet been released from Brussels yet. Meanwhile a representative from the Halo Trust office in Colombo, Roy Anver said his office had been informed that the LTTE was conducting separate inquiries regarding the attack as LTTE members are alleged to have been involved in the attack. Police and military investigations into the incident too have commenced. "The Halo Trust has always kept a neutral stand and has been transparent about its activities. It is difficult to believe that there were those unhappy with the work of the organisation", a release from the organisation said. Meanwhile sources from Jaffna state that the reason behind the surprise attack could be dissatisfaction among the local staff about the salaries paid to them. |
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