Residents call for removal of Malwatte STF camp

[TamilNet, Saturday, 23 November 2002, 14:18 GMT]
Residents of Malwattai in Ampara district has appealed in a Memorandum signed by 142 residents sent to the Ampara Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to remove the Special Task Force (STF) camp from their village, sources in Ampara said.

The STF established a camp in Malwatte in 1990 by forcing owners of six houses to vacate their premises. The former residents have become refugees or are living with their friends and relatives, sources said.

The residents are severely inconvenienced by the restrictions of movement and travel imposed on them due the proximity of the STF camp to the hospital, hindu temple and the school, the memorandum said.

With the prevailing spirit of goodwill and recognizing the progress being made in the talks between the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Government of Sri Lanka, the defence authorities should take the necessary steps to remove the camp, the memorandum further said.

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