Fillip for rehousing IDPs

Forces complete month-long humanitarian mission:

Ranil Wijayapala

BATTICALOA: The Security Forces who engaged in a humanitarian mission in the south and west of Batticaloa yesterday completed their month-long mission taking full control of the A-5 Chenkaladi-Maha Oya road.

The entire Eastern population is now in Security Forces dominated areas, with the LTTE confined to the Thoppigala jungles.

“This is a great achievement by the Security Forces as it helps the Government to resettle nearly 100,000 Internally Displaced People (IDPs) in the Batticaloa district in their original places,” Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told the Daily News.

Samarasinghe said the Forces compelled the LTTE cadres to retreat to the Thoppigala jungles.

“No major confrontation was reported yesterday as the Security Forces took control over the Maha Oya - Chenkaladi road after 14 years,” Brigadier Samarasinghe added. The road fell in to the hands of the LTTE in 1994 after the Security Forces withdrew from the area for deployment in the North.

The Security Forces commenced this operation at the end of February to take control of the road, which connects Ampara and Batticaloa districts.

According to Brigadier Samarasinghe more than 200 LTTE cadres were killed during this operation. Thirteen Security Forces personnel died in action.

The Brigadier said nearly 60,000 people took shelter in refugee camps in Batticaloa following the confrontations between the Security Forces and the LTTE and another 30,000 people from Batticaloa west and Batticaloa south are living with their relatives.

With the completion of operations, Vavunathivu, Karadiyanaru, Iiththiyamalai, Unnichchiya and Rukam areas were taken under full control of the Security Forces.