Military operations purely humanitarian - Media Minister

Lakshmi DE SILVA

The current operations in the North by the Armed Forces were exclusively humanitarian measures to rescue Tamil civilians who were still being detained by the LTTE under duress, Minister of Media and Information Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said at the weekly Cabinet press briefing yesterday (24) at Colombo.

Army Chief of Staff Major Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri had been appointed the Competent Authority in charge of the welfare of the displaced persons in the North. In addition, the District Secretaries of Kandy, Polonnaruwa and Anuradhapura Gotabhaya Jayarathna, D.A.Lal Nimal and H.M.K. Herath were assigned special tasks to provide shelter, water and health care of the displaced people, he said.

There were more than 107,000 civilians who had arrived at the Government administered areas and only around 15,000 civilians were remaining in the LTTE controlled areas, he said.

Answering a question the Minister said while India and Sri Lanka enjoyed fruitful and cordial relations India had banned the LTTE as a terrorist organization and the policy of the Indian government on the LTTE had not changed.