Off the wire
• (Recast) 1st LD Writethru: Somalia cuts off diplomatic ties with Iran  • Saudi Arabia to investigate alleged Saudi bombing of Iranian embassy in Yemen  • ECB foreign exchange rates of Euro to other currencies  • Eurozone retail trade down by 0.3 pct in Nov.  • Xinjiang lifts 1.74 million out of poverty  • 1st LD Writerhtu: Somalia cuts off diplomatic ties with Iran  • Guangdong reports third H5N6 case this winter  • 2nd LD-Writethru: China's forex reserves post biggest monthly drop on record  • EU boosts cooperation in earth sciences with USGS  • 2nd LD: China suspends stock market "circuit breaker"  
You are here: 　 Home

Sri Lanka to release land for resettlement of war-affected people

Xinhua, January 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Sri Lankan government will release land to resettle war-displaced families now living in refugee camps, a senior government official said Thursday.

Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister Rajitha Senaratne, told reporters in a weekly media briefing that the cabinet had approved releasing suitable land in Jaffna for resettlement, without affecting the country's national security.

"It is important to resettle internally displaced persons in their homeland for building long lasting peace and reconciliation," Senaratne said.

"Considerable number of families are still living in refugee camps or with their relatives as their lands are not released for resettlement."

Thousands of civilians were displaced mainly in the country's north and east during a 30-year civil conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels which ended in May 2009.

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena had said recently that the government would give land to civilians displaced by war by the middle of this year.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) said that it welcomed the move by the government. Endit