IOM to assist displaced Jaffna fisher families

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 August 2005, 17:12 GMT]
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) agreed to construct semi-permanent houses for about five hundred displaced fisher families in a fifty acre plot located in the no-man zone in Valalai area close to Thondamannaru lagoon, east of Palaly high security zone, Jaffna district secretariat sources said.

At a conference held Wednesday afternoon in the Jaffna district secretariat with the Government Agent Mr. K.Ganesh in the chair, officials of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) present indicated their willingness to allow resettlement of displaced fisher families in Valalai area, sources said.

The list of names of five hundred fisher families selected for resettlement in the no-man zone of the Valalai area was handed over the Government Agent at the conference Wednesday, sources said.

Army officials at the conference further agreed to provide access path to resettled fishermen to go to sea for fishing, district secretariat sources said.

Representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and fishermen co-operative societies also participated in the conference, sources said.

Several attempts were earlier made to obtain permission from the security establishment to resettle displaced fisher families from Palaly, Myliddy and other coastal areas about thirteen years ago due to high security zone in the no-man zone of Valalai area, sources said.