NE Governor cancels visit to Jaffna after protest

[TamilNet, Monday, 01 November 2004, 13:20 GMT]
The North East Province Governor (retired) Major General Asoka Jayawardene Monday cancelled his official visit to Jaffna after civil groups in the peninsula warned that he would face public agitation as hundreds of thousands of internally displaced families are still languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres, district secretariat sources said Monday. The NE Governor was scheduled to visit Jaffna on Wednesday.

Excerpts from the statement issued by Jaffna Civil Groups Forum (JCGF) protesting against the proposed Governor's visit follow:

''Tamils of Jaffna vehemently oppose your visit to Jaffna. About 1000 days have gone since the implementation of the ceasefire agreement signed by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The GOSL has so far failed to implement important aspects of the CFA in accordance with true spirit. Normalcy has not returned to the lives of Tamils. The IDP families have been languishing in welfare centres and refugees unable to return their houses and lands, which are located in the high security zones of the SLA.

''The GOSL has not revealed its stand on the Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals of the LTTE, which has been submitted to expedite the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the war-torn northeast province. In this circumstance we oppose representatives of GOSL visiting Jaffna without solving the burning problems and the legitimate aspirations of Tamil people''