July 04, Colombo: The Sri Lanka Red Cross Society today said that they are ready to accept the essential items carried by the controversial "Captain Ali" vessel to distribute among the Internally Displaced Persons in the North.

Neville Nanayakkara, the Director General of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society told the media that it has decided to accept the load according to an appeal made by the India government.

He said that the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society has already informed it to the Red Cross Society in India.

Sri Lanka navy took the vessel called 'Captain Ali' with fifteen crew members onboard into custody on early hours of Jun 05th for entering the country's territorial waters illegally without permission from Sri Lankan authorities.

The Navy has found nearly 800 metric tons of food and medicines including crutches for the disabled from the "Captain Ali" vessel, forced to anchor off the Panadura seas.

Following the refusal to unload the cargo the ship later sailed to Chennai in India and anchored off the Chennai seas. The ship was granted permission by the Indian authorities to unload its cargo.

The top level Sri Lanka delegation including President's Senior Advisor Basil Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, that visited India recently agreed to accept the load carried by the vessel.