GA urged to relocate displaced fisher families

[TamilNet, Sunday, 31 August 2003, 19:33 GMT]
Palaly Fisheries Society Sunday asked the Jaffna District Government Agent (GA) to take immediate steps to relocate the displaced fisher families from the Palaly high security zone in the coastal areas between Thondamanaru and Valalai who now live in private lands of others in several other villages. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has barred them from resettling in their own lands and houses, fisheries officials said.

Around four hundred fisher families fled from Palaly and adjoining villages in 1990 military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army and sought refuge in coastal villages elsewhere in the peninsula.

According to fisheries societies, 106 such families now live Polikandy village, and 115 families in Point Pedro and the rest in Inbaruty, Sakkottai, Karaveddy, Manalkadu and Kudathanai in Vadamarachchi east and also in Vanni region.

The internally displaced fisher families are now being asked by the owners of the land they reside as refugees to vacate immediately. Since the SLA is not allowing them to resettle them in their own lands located in the Palaly high security zone, the displaced are desperate for help in finding a place to live, sources said.

The fisheries societies have made an urgent appeal to the Government Agent in Jaffna to relocate them in coastal areas between Thondamanaru and Valalai from the place until they are allowed by the government to resettle in their own lands and houses which presently fall into the Palaly high security zone, sources said.

Meanwhile the Jaffna district secretariat is refusing to pay resettlement allowance to IDP returnees from Vanni region, stating that they have not resettled in their own lands and houses. IDP families complained to the GA that Jaffna district secretariat has failed to take note that they are being prevented by the SLA to resettle in their own lands in Palaly, sources said.