2ND LEAD (UPDATE)

Rajapaksa appoints notorious commander to head IDP resettlement

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 April 2009, 17:32 GMT]
Sri Lankan President and C-in-C of the armed forces Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday appointed Chief-of-Staff of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri as the Competent Authority Officer in charge of resettlement of Tamils from Vanni in alleged barbed-wire 'internment camps' and 'villages' in the North. Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri was the former chief of the SLA in Jaffna, under whose command Jaffna witnessed hundreds of forced disappearances, extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations in the period from 2006 to 2008. Meanwhile, Colombo has started to seek funds to 'resettle' and 'rehabilitate' civilians who have been captured from the LTTE controlled area.

Three more Sinhalese Government Agents from Kandy, Pollonnaruwa and Anuradhapura districts would assist Maj. Gen. Chandrsiri as Coordinating Officers to handle the affairs of the Tamil IDPs.

The only Tamil official to assist Chandrasiri is Vavuniyaa GA Ms. P.M.S Charles. She would help the former commander to liaise with the displaced, according to reports that appeared in Colombo press Friday.

Kandy GA Gotabhaya Jayarathna was appointed to handle construction, shelter, and lodging, Pollonnaruwa GA Lal Wimal to coordinate food, health and sanitation and Anuradhapura GA to handle water supply, electricity and infrastructure, the reports said.

Chandrasiri’s service was extended for a year when he retired from service in 2008, on the recommendation of Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the SLA chief.

His military service was extended for a year when he retired from service in 2008, on the recommendation of Maj. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the SLA chief.

Chronology: