India has announced that it has donated 10,000 bicycles to the North-East in order to help “rehabilitate” displaced Tamils, reported the Hindu.

The bicycles have been distributed across Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Mannar, Vavuniya and Jaffna.

Earlier this year British MP Ian Paisley stated he had met with TNA leader R Sampanthan, who had reportedly said,

“the most effective thing that many of his people required was practical help to get bicycles and other tools to help them to work and run their country. That was the message of the man who is leading the opposition”.

MP Aidan Burley echoed Paisley’s comments adding,

“I remember (Sampanthan) telling us that he wanted a bicycle for every one of his people, which is his main priority”.

See more British MP’s comments in our feature:

British MPs call for CHOGM boycott at Parliament debate on Sri Lanka (09 January 2013)

Meanwhile, an Indian project to build 50,000 houses, which has been repeatedly stalled after being announced in 2010, has stuttered on to the next phase.

The Official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka proudly proclaimed that after a “rigorous application of selection processes agreed upon by the two governments”, 8,700 people have been “selected”.

See our post from 2010: The state is the main obstacle to developing Tamil areas (27 December 2010)

Also see our editorial: Leaping tiger or cowering mouse (08 March 2013)