NGO to assist farmers affected by HSZ
[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 June 2003, 00:15 GMT]
An international non-governmental organization ACTIONFAIM has formulated a scheme to provide livelihood assistance to resettled villagers in Thenamaradchchi division in Jaffna district who are unable to cultivate their agricultural lands occupied by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), divisional secretariat sources said.
ACTIONFAIM is an NGO, which has its headquarters in Paris and works against hunger among the poor. In the first phase about four thousand beneficiaries in eight village level (Grama Niladhari) divisions will receive assistance from ACTIONFAIM, divisional secretariat sources said. Since the signing of the Cease-Fire Agreement by the government and LTTE more than two thousand farmers have resettled in their own lands in Thenmaradchchi division. However, the SLA has not allowed these resettled villagers to cultivate their paddy lands which are within the high security zone. Villagers say the SLA assured last year that they would be allowed to cultivate a portion of lands at Kohilakandy, Thanankilappu and Maravanpolo areas, but SLA has made no moves towards allowing farmers to resume cultivation.
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