LTTE laid 1.4m landmines in district:

Demining on fast-track in Kilinochchi

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Sri Lankan Army and UN-sponsored de-mining teams have cleared 60 per cent of mine-containing land in Kilinochchi. The National Steering Committee on Mine Action (NSCMA) yesterday said LTTE had laid over 1.4 million landmines in the Kilinochchi district.

"They are being removed, de-mining is on a fast track," NSCMA sources said. Nearly 90 per cent of an estimated quarter million displaced were resettled, sources said and added that Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu remain to be cleared of landmines.

Meanwhile, the government on Thursday and Friday resettled 4,000 displaced families in Jaffna. The 4,000 families or 18,000 men, women and children were resettled in the 9,000 square meter High Security Zone (HSZ) with the security clearance being given by the Ministry of Defence. Resettlement Ministry Secretary B M U D Basnayaka said they will resettle the rest of the IDPs no sooner the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu lands are cleared of landmines. IDPs at Manik Farm will be resettled soon in their places of origin.

Basnayaka said they will be able to end the the process of resettlement before the end of December.

Asked about the facilities given to IDPs and the resettled, he said there is more than enough food, water and sanitary facilities at their welfare camps with the number of IDPs being reduced to less than ten per cent.

He said Economic Development Ministry is looking after the resettled. The Ministry is looking after their livelihood maintenance.

'The Economic Development Ministry has started a number of projects in resettled villages to revive their livelihoods with fisheries and agriculture, he said. The Ceylon Electricity Board is providing electricity to resettled villages free of charge, he said.

Deputy Resettlement Minister Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan visited Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi IDP camps to meet the IDPs to discuss their matters, who had told him they were satisfied with the facilities inside the camps.

Asked why they were unable to resettle some IDPs in several cleared areas, he said they will be resettled in these areas once their ownership of land is verified with respective District Secretariats in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi.