ACHC welcomes priests release

The All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC) has welcomed the action taken by the Government to release Hindu priests and their families from IDP welfare villages.

ACHC General Secretary Kandiah Neelakandan said: "We wish to record with appreciation the arrangements made by Basil Rajapaksa MP, to release 177 Hindu Priests including 573 family members from the camps to All Ceylon Hindu Congress (a Federation of Hindu Religious Associations and Temple Trusts in Sri Lanka).

44 families (155 family members) of Hindu Priests have been released to be settled in Vavuniya, eight families (34 family members) of Hindu Priests will be arranged to be sent to be settled in Mannar. Arrangements are being made to send 58 families (222 family members) of Hindu Priests to Jaffna and six families (24 family members) of Hindu Priests will be sent to the Eastern Province.

The others also will be re-settled very soon.

"We wish to place on record or appreciation and thanks to the President, the Government, Basil Rajapaksa MP, Ministers Douglas Devananda and Pandu Bandaranayake and the Defence Ministry and the Hindu Religious Affairs Department for the action taken to release these Hindu priests and their families," General Secretary of the ACHC, Kandiah Neelakandan said.