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Sri Lankan gov't to assist thousands of war widows

Xinhua, April 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka's government is to set up a welfare center in the former war-torn north to assist thousands of women widowed by the country's three-decade war, a statement from the prime minister's office said here on Monday.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's office said in a statement that the National Center for the Upliftment of the Households Headed by Women will be set up in Kilinochchi, the former stronghold of Tamil Tiger terrorists.

Wickremesinghe, who toured the Eastern Province, initiated the decision on a request made by the people of the North to establish the center in their area since many women, who lost their husbands, live in the region.

"In the north alone there are nearly 50,000 families that are headed by women. They are made destitute due to their inability to provide food, accommodation and educational needs to their children," the statement said.

The new government came into power in January pledging to promote reconciliation between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil community after the war ended in 2009.

Lands previously held by the military and political prisoners have already been released.

However, the new government remains under international pressure to credibly investigate allegations of war crimes and thousands of people who went missing during the war.

In 2014, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) initiated a probe into the allegations and the preliminary report will be presented in September. Endi