SLA blocks resettlement outside HSZ

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 March 2003, 18:01 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has refused permission for resettlers to build new houses or repair their damaged ones in Pannalai area close to Vasavilan which is outside the forward defence line of the Palaly high security zone (HSZ) in Jaffna district, civil sources said.

People residing in areas surrrounding the the Palaly military base area were displaced since 1992 following military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army.

However with several areas in the Jaffna peninsula coming under the control of the SLA since 1996, displaced people started resettling in areas out side the forward defence line of Palaly main military base, sources said.

With the ceasefire agreement more displaced people staying in Vanni started arriving Jaffna to resettle in areas outside the forward defence line of Palaly main military base, sources said.

Several resettlers started to repair their destroyed houses and some commenced construction of new houses. The SLA officials are now visiting such areas and order those resettlers not to repair damaged houses nor build new houses in their lands. The affected resettlers have now made representations to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, sources said.