Picketing campaign in Tellipalai called off
[TamilNet, Friday, 10 January 2003, 15:33 GMT]
As a result of the understanding reached between the Government
of Sri LAnka (GOSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in
the fourth round of peace talk in Thailand
related to the settling of displaced in Jaffna, the one week old picketing
and fasting campaign of the displaced people in
Jaffna district in front of the office of the Tellipalai Additional
Government Agent was called off Friday afternoon, sources said.
Several hundreds displaced participated in the campaign demanding that they should be allowed to resettle in their lands in the high security zones in the north
of Jaffna district, Valikaamam Peoples Forum (VPF) sources said. A spokesman of the VPF said the campaign was called off expecting that the
government would look into the grievances of the displaced living several
years in welfare centres and refugee camps elsewhere. Several hundred
thousands were displaced from villages adjoining the Palaly military
headquarters, airbase and Kankesanthurai harbour following military
operations in 1990, sources said If the government failed to take favourable steps promptly in regard to
their demand they would be launching a larger protest campaign covering the entire peninsula, VPF spokesman said.
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