SLA reneges on agreement in Vadamarachchi

[TamilNet, Friday, 14 November 2003, 15:35 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army Friday failed to honor its promise to civil authorities that it would hand over the central dispensary and maternity home building located in Amban village and the sub office building of the Point Pedro Pradeshiya Sabah in the Vadamarachchi east division to the respective government departments. These buildings are located in the high security zone and occupied by SLA soldiers, civil sources said.

The Assistant Government Agent of Maruthankerni division, Mr.V.P.Velauthampillai, Friday morning received information from the SLA authorities that those buildings would not be handed over to the civil authorities as intimated earlier, civil sources said.

The AGA, other officials and the public are disappointed by the SLA's reneging on the agreement, as they were getting ready to take over these buildings at the invitation of the SLA, the sources said.

The SLA soldiers also occupy the building of the Amban Agricultural Productivity Center in this division, the sources said.

The SLA has been occupying these buildings since 1999 when it launched a military offensive in the Vadamarachchi east division, sources said.

Villagers of Kudaththanai, Manalkadu and Potpathi said that they have to travel several miles to obtain medical facilities to the Point Pedro base hospital as the central dispensary and the maternity home are occupied by the army soldiers.