UK envoy on fact finding tour in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 30 April 2003, 17:01 GMT]
The British High Commissioner Mr. Stephen Evans is on a three-day visit to Trincomalee district. He is to meet the political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Trincomalee Mr.S.Tilak on Thursday at Sampoor in the LTTE held Muttur east, south of Trincomalee district, sources said.

The High Commissioner arrived in Trincomalee Tuesday with his Second Secretary for Political Affairs Ms Margaret Tongue and Defence Advisor Lieutenant Colonel Mark Weldon. This was his first to Trincomalee, sources said.

On Tuesday UK High Commissioner held talks with UNHCR representatives in Trincomalee. Later he visited internally displaced people of the three communities- Tamil, Muslim and Sinhalese-languishing in refugee camps and welfare centres awaiting resettlement in their villages, sources said.

The UK team later met the head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee Mr.Abdel Burkan at the SLMM office and talked for about an hour regarding incidents taking place after the ceasefire agreement was signed, sources said. Mr. Stephen Evans thereafter held talks with Trincomalee officials of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka about the human rights situation in the east port town, sources said.

British High Commissioner later met the Asian Development Bank funded North East Restoration of Community Development (NECORD) project director Mr.T.Lankaneson at the latter's office and discussed about the implementation community development projects in the war affected district, sources said.

Mr. Stephen Evans Wednesday morning held wide-ranging discussion with top officials of the Sri Lanka Army and Sri Lanka Navy in Trincomalee regarding security problems after the ceasefire agreement, sources said.

The British High Commissioner is scheduled to go to Muttur Thursday by speedboat of the SLN. There they are expected to meet the Muslim religious leaders in Muttur and then the district political head of the LTTE Mr.Tilak, sources said.

The UK high commissioner and his party is expected to leave Muttur by A-15 highway to Batticaloa district, concluding their three day fact finding tour of Trincomalee district, sources said.