PM assures Parliament:

Govt to resettle IDPs with security

Uditha KUMARASINGHE and Irangika RANGE

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka told Parliament that the intention of the Government is to resettle the displaced people in the north in their original villages with maximum security.

The Government has provided maximum facilities to the IDPs until they are re-settled in their original villages.

The Government has also taken every possible measure to safeguard the rights of these IDPs who have been temporarily sheltered in welfare camps by providing them the opportunity to participate in social activities.

The Premier moving the motion to extend emergency regulations said the Government has already implemented its program to mentally strengthen the displaced people in the North.

The Government has no intention to keep these IDPs in welfare camps for a long time.

As a responsible Government, we don’t want to get complaints or insults by doing so.

He said the Government has to conduct its resettlement activities slowly due to thousands of landmines buried by the terrorists in the North.

The Government has no ability to resettle the people within an inadequate security situation. Before these resettlements are commenced, the de-mining activities should be completed in certain areas in the North to ensure maximum security of the people who are to be resettled in their original villages.

“Even today certain elements with vested interest attempt to create problems and tarnish the image of the Government.

They try to promote various false propaganda campaigns against the Government while attempting to take those ideas into Parliaments in other countries as well.

What do they expect through such activities? These elements through such activities try to put the lives of unarmed civilians into danger, some of them act even as journalists. It is the responsibility of countries to prevent these activities committed by these pro-LTTE elements which would also be a threat to them as well.”

The Prime Minister said intelligence sources have found information that some LTTE cadres have come to Colombo to create atrocities to destabilise civilian life. “We cannot allow LTTE terrorists and their supportive elements to raise their heads again. We have to wipe out the remaining cadres. “Our Armed Forces are still conducting search operations in the North. They have recovered a large number of military equipment hidden by terrorists from these search operations”, the Prime Minister said.