Pay rent or vacate, house owners tell SLA

[TamilNet, Saturday, 04 September 2004, 13:00 GMT]
Attempts made by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) through its Jaffna regional office have failed to obtain support of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to pay rent to the owners of the civilian houses now occupied by SLA outside the high security zones (HSZs) in Jaffna district. The owners have now issued ultimatum to launch a campaign demanding the return of their houses in failing to pay rent, sources said.

Even after the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement by the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) more than thousand civilian houses outside the high security zones have been occupied by the Sri Lanka Army for its use.

Owners earlier thought that the SLA would release their houses following the CFA agreement. Since the SLA refused to vacate the owners made several attempts in past to get rent from the army. Since the SLA did not respond favourably they approached the HRCSL seeking its help in this regard, sources said.

The SLA is reported have given an assurance to the HRCSL that it would pay rent to the civilian owners of the houses they have been occupying. Up to now the HCSL has not got any positive response from the SLA, sources said.

The owners have now issued ultimatum to the HRCSL that if the SLA failed to return their houses or pay rent they have no alternative other than to launch mass agitation against the SLA, civil sources said.

However, HRCSL has assured the owners that it would continue its effort to resolve the issue..

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