65 Allaippiddi IDP families resettled

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 22 April 2008, 11:05 GMT]
Jaffna Secretariat officials transported 65 families of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) Monday in 3 buses and lorries loaded with their belongings from camps in Jaffna for resettlement in Allaippiddi, sources in Jaffna said. Many Non-government Organizations (NGOs) in Jaffna peninsula, however, expressed concern that the security situation has not returned to normal.

Allaippiidi residents vacated the village and sought refuge in Navaanththu'rai Church, St. Mary's Church in Jaffna and with friends or relatives in Jaffna peninsula, after Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) massacred 13 villagers in May 2006

Many of them were lodged in interim refugee camps.

Four wards in Allaippiddi have been cleared of land mines by Danish de-mining organization while huts have been erected by UN and World Vision in Allaippiddi.

Jaffna Government Agent (GA) announced that each family will be paid 25,000 rupees as immediate assistance along with two week's relief supplies.

Jaffna Secretariat officials began the project of resettling Allaippiddi at the insistence of the government, Secretariat sources said.

Thirteen families were resettled in Allaippiddi in the first stage of resettlement, according to Jaffna Secretariat.

Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) troopers from Ma'ndaitheevu Sri Lanka Navy camp surrounded a civilian house in Allaippiddi in Ma'ndaitheevu islet, west of Jaffna, on 13 May 2006 around 8:30 p.m. and opened fire killing 8 civilians, including a four months old baby and a four year old son, and their parents on the spot. One of the wounded succumbed to his wounds at Jaffna hospital. 13 civilians were killed in Jaffna islets on that day.