SLA harass Tamil resettled civilians in Batticaloa district

[TamilNet, Thursday, 02 April 2009, 06:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are subjecting the resettled civilians in Koa’ralaippattu South Divisional Secretariat area in Batticaloa district to undue harassment and restrictions accusing them of helping Liberation Tiger combatants who had infiltrated into the area, the civilians said. SLA soldiers intimidate them aimng to to expel them when they have to attend to their seasonal agricultural work, they added.

1022 persons of 275 families of the 327 families who were displaced during the SLA offensive on Kudumpimalai two year ago have been resettled in their own villages on Wednesday, Divisional Secretariat sources said.

People in seven Divisional Secretariat areas in Batticaloa district were forced to displace and stay in temporary shelters due to the 2007 SLA offensives in Batticaloa district.

Though 327 Kudumpimalai families were expected to resettle, only 275 families of them volunteered to be resettled.

Dry food ration for two weeks has been given to the resettled families while relief assistance for six months would be provided under the World Food Program, the officials said.

NGOs including NEHR, N.R.C, ZOZ and ICRC have built cement huts roofed with cadjan or corrugated aluminum sheets.

The resettled civilians complained of drinking water problem during drought and requested the officials to find a permanent solution for the problem.