SLA orders termination of 17 Halo Trust employees

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 July 2007, 14:02 GMT]
Seventeen employees of Halo Trust demining group in Jaffna were terminated from their position on the orders of Palaly Sri Lanka Military High Command, sources close to the NGO said. Affected employees said that they have been employed with the Group for more than four years and have had no blemishes on their employment record.

Halo Trust officials declined to comment on the terminations.

However, efforts are underway to recruit new employees to fill in the vacancies left by the sacked workers, civil society sources said.

Hundreds of youth were seen lining up to interview for employment Saturday at the Halo Trust offices at Nallur, sources said.

Palaly Command has reportedly informed Halo Trust officials that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) should provide clearances to the workers before they are given employment, informed sources in Jaffna said.

Civil sources, meanwhile, accused the officials of the Halo Trust for their continued silence and lack of action to trace the thirteen employees abducted and, or killed in the last few years.

Unconfirmed reports say a similar directive has been sent by the SLA to the Damish Demining Group to terminate selected employees.