Dhanapala visits Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 October 2004, 12:05 GMT]
Dr.Jayantha Dhanapala Secretary General of Sri Lanka's Government Peace Secretariat Friday visited Trincomalee and held discussion with the local and expatriate members of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in the office of the SLMM located along the Inner Harbour Road, Trincomalee. The discussions mainly centred on the question of obtaining the release of two Sinhalese home guards who are now in remand on the orders of Thamileelam courts, SLMM sources said.

Two of the four local monitors Messrs M.K.M.Akbar and Venerable Saranakeerthi Thera attended the discussion along with Mr. Helge Lyberg, acting head of the SLMM in Trincomalee and Sea Monitor Mr.Torkel. Another local monitor Mr.S.Tharmalingam who is a resident of Muttur east did not attend the discussions. The fourth local monitor Attorney-at-Law Mr.K.Sivapalan is currently abroad, sources said.

Dr. Dhanapala did not attend two other meetings scheduled for late Friday at Trincomalee district secretariat and the Provincial Council Guest House as they were cancelled due to the general shut down which was organised by Trincomalee Tamil Peoples' Forum.

Dr Dhanapala was to meet Government Agent and civil officials at the meeting fixed in the district secretariat and to meet civil society leaders and representatives of non-governmental organizations functioning in the district at the meeting scheduled to be held in Provincial Guest House in Uppuveli, sources said.