SRI LANKA: UN denounces misuse of food destined for children
COLOMBO, 12 March 2009 (IRIN) - The UN has deplored the diversion of high-energy therapeutic food supplies intended for severely malnourished children to Liberation Tigers of Tamils Eelam (LTTE) fighters in combat zones in Sri Lanka’s north. A statement released on 11 March by the UN country office in Sri Lanka said that BP-100 high-energy biscuits found in the possession of a dead Tamil Tiger came from supplies targeted at severely malnourished children. “The UN deplores that such life-saving items, destined for severely malnourished children, were diverted from their intended purpose,” the statement said. “The last shipment of BP-100 was sent with all due government authorisations by the UN Children’s Fund [UNICEF] to the Ministry of Health Regional Directors of Health Services in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu in June 2007, for the treatment of severely malnourished children in those districts.” The UN statement said “the treatment of malnutrition among children remains a priority for S...