Fund launched to protect North and East villages

Chamikara Weerasinghe

COLOMBO: The Patriotic National Movement launched a fund yesterday for the protection of villages in the North and East which have come under the threat of terrorism.

The Movement's President Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekera told the Daily News that the fund had been set up by the Patriotic National Movement to help the affected villagers who have been displaced owing to LTTE terrorist activities.

"There are 300 hundred villages in the North and East which are directly affected by LTTE terrorism. The people in these villages have been displaced by terrorism just as the people in the South had been displaced by the tsunami," he said.

"They undergo immense suffering both mentally and physically having to live without sufficient food, clothing , shelter or freedom," he said.

"The LTTE intends to remove these people from lands of the North and East with a view to reach their separatist goals by way of an ethnic cleansing campaign," he said.

"If the North and East inhabitants should move out of their lands succumbing to LTTE terrorism, it will mean that Prabhakaran gets a chance to see it as another separatist victory," he said.

"If the villages move out, Prabhakaran gets a chance to see it as an opportunity to establish his terrorist boundaries," he explained.

We launched the Fund For The Protection of Villages under the Threat of Terrorism with a view to rescue the villages and also the inhabitants in them from their terrible plight, at the same time contributing to the government's efforts to protect the country from LTTE terrorism, he said.

Patriotic National Movement has organised a national programme to collect dry rations, clothing and other necessary supplies to be distributed to these villages on the Poson Poya Day.

The Movement has opened an Account at the People's Bank to collect the funds at Account No. 078-1-001-2-3076757.