450 Trincomalee IDPs to be resettled Tuesday

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 March 2008, 02:46 GMT]
A group of civilians from Trincomalee district, internally displaced due to military offensives, and residing in welfare centres in various parts of Batticaloa district, are being taken to their original places of residence Tuesday in 15 buses, Batticaloa kachcheri officials said.

459 members of 132 families from Pa'l'likkudiyiruppu area in Moothor District Secretary’s administrative area are being transported back to their own areas for resettlement Tuesday morning.

These internally displaced people (IDPs) are presently residing in welfare centres located within the administrative areas of the District Secretaries of Sengkaladi, Vaazhaicheanai and Ka’luvaangchchikkudi in Batticaloa district.

The IDPs faced severe hardships due to the torrential rain that fell last week. Authorities had announced two weeks earlier on their plans to resettle some refugees.

A large number of IDPs from Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts have been residing in 19 welfare centres and also in the homes of their friend and relations in 14 District secretaries area in Batticaloa district.

Meanwhile, residents from Champoor and Moothor areas of Trincomalle district have already told the authorities that they will return to their residences only if their safety is assured.

Many of these IDPs forcibly resettled earlier have returned back to Batticaloa.