Support for Mahinda in Jaffna declines

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 January 2010, 04:56 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) being reluctant to permit resettlement in its High Security Zone (HSZ) in Valikaamam North, whatever support that President Mahinda Rajapakse had in Jaffna peninsula began to decline fast, sources in Jaffna said. Besides, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian, Sivasakthi Ananthan had told ‘Valampuri’, the Tamil daily published in Jaffna, that SLA soldiers at Thellippazhai had demanded Ministry of Defence (MOD) permission from him to enter the HSZ and this had altogether dashed the hopes of the IDPs who had been time and again promised with resettlement.

Basil Rajapakse, the brother and senior advisor of President Mahinda Rajapakse, had earlier promised resettlement from 10 January but nothing had happened.

President Mahinda Rajapakse who was in Jaffna on 10 January did not say anything at all about resettlement, contrary to the expectations of the IDPs.

Minister Douglas Devananda, in an effort to pacify the IDPs, met them Tuesday in Thellippazhai, accompanied by Northern Province Governor. G. A. Chandrasiri and Nadarasa, the President of the Federation of IDP Welfare Organizations in Jaffna.

When Douglas Devananda assured the IDPs that he will speak to the authorities and get a definite decision within a few days, they said that they were not prepared to believe promises any more.

Douglas Devananda managed to get the SLA to open a path for people to worship in Maaviddappuram Kanthasuvami Koayil Tuesday.