Resettlement in Talaimannar Pier areas to begin

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 July 2003, 08:26 GMT]
Sittampalam Jeyapalan, a senior officer attached to the international NGO from Switzerland, FSD, said that 1394 land mines, 9 claymore mines and 8 unexploded shells have been removed from the Talaimannar West and East areas in the last one hundred days. Administrative officials in Talaimannar said that the clearing of mines has allowed displaced residents from Talaimannar pier area to prepare for resettlement.

However, in Mallavarayan, Kattai Adampan, Periya Neelasenai, Pumalarnthan villages additional areas infected with mines have been identified and only after clearing these areas will resettlement be feasible, officials said.

Jeyapalan further said that on request from Mannar Government Agent and Officers of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization mine clearing efforts in Liberation Tigers (LTTE) controlled Adampan area have begun to facilitate resettlement of displaced.

In LTTE controlled areas of Adampan and Periyamadu, FSD group with the assistance of Humanitarian Demining Group of the TRO has cleared areas stretching 34,341 sq.meters. 180 landmines and 1094 shells were removed and these were later destroyed at Nayaru area.

Jeyapalan added that 26 workers from Humanitarian Mine Clearing Group are deployed in areas of Mannar district under control of the LTTE.

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