Under the Government’s resettlement programme of internally displaced civilians in the transitional centers in the North, 439 families temporarily housed in Vavuniya relief villages were sent to their places of origin in the East today.

This is the first phase of the resettlement scheme of the displaced housed in Vavuniya temporary camps. In addition, the government took steps to resettle 3112 persons of 1051 families who temporary occupied various places in Vavuniya but were residents of Jaffna back in their homes in the peninsula.

Among those resettled in the Eastern theatre, there were 464 persons in 189 families to Kantale, 93 persons from 33 families to Trincomalee,142 persons in 56 families to Ampara and 265 persons in 109 families to Bartticaloa.

These civilians had to flee their home towns due to the LTTE threats and intimidation, and they later escaped to the Government controlled areas in the latter stage of the humanitarian operation.

Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa participated at the event where these persons were provided transportation facilities using 70 buses to get to their destinations from the transitional camps provided by the Government.

The Government’s dedicated intention is to resettle the displaced persons and restore their livelihood swiftly in their domiciled villages while implementing the massive development drive, Senior Presidential Advisor parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa said adding that swift measures have been taken to expedite the process of resettling.

Among those present on this occasion were Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services, Risath Bathiyutheen, Minister of National Integration, V. Muralitharan Chief Minister of the Eastern Province, S. Candrakanthan, Chief Minister of the North- Central Province Berty Premalal Dissanayake, Governor of the Northern Province, Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri, and several other government officials.