Arranged by Minister Dougals Devananda, around 300 IDPs were taken by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers to Ariyaalai Wednesday saying that they can see their houses which had been caught in the High Security Zone (HSZ) during SLA occupation in 2000, representatives of IDP Welfare Organisations in Jaffna said. The IDPs, however, were not permitted to go beyond Poompukaar junction in Ariyaalai and they had to return with disappointment, they added. Though many promises had been given to the IDPs in an effort to get their votes for President Mahinda Rajapakse, so far no definite date or information had been given to them regarding resettlement in the HSZs, the representatives said.
The IDPs were not allowed to enter Ariyaalai North area which constitutes the greater part of Ariyaalai.
Their houses in the area they saw had all been completely raided SLA soldiers, the IDPs said.
A group of IDPs evacuated by SLA in Valikaamam North too had been taken on a similar tour to their places Tuesday.
The vast areas occupied by SLA in Vadamaraadchi, Thenmaraadchi, Valikaamam and Jaffna in the name of HSZs are occupied by SLA though there is no need for HSZs anymore, the representatives of IDP Welfare Organizations pointed out.
People in Ariyaalai had been displaced during the clashes in 200 and had been living as refugees in other parts of the peninsula since then, they said.
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