SLMM reduces offices in North-East

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has reduced the number of its offices in the North and East.

The Mission's spokesperson Thorfinnur Omarsson said the Mission had closed a number of its offices in the North-East following the withdrawal of its monitors from EU States, Finland, Denmark and Sweden.

With the truce monitors of EU countries leaving, the SLMM had to function with a scarce staff, he said. Of the 57-member staff of the SLMM truce monitors, 39 were from EU States.

The truce monitors of EU States had withdrawn from the Mission following the EU listing of the LTTE as a terrorist group.

"The SLMM is functioning with one office for Ampara and Batticaloa districts instead of the two offices it has had earlier.

Also, we are having one SLMM office for Mannar and Vavuniya districts instead of two," said Omarsson.

They had kept offices in Jaffna, Trincomalee and Killinochchi intact.