The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) told the visiting UN delegation that it remained questionable whether the government was unequivocally committed to the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) and he UNHRC resolution adopted in March, 2012.
The TNA delegation led by party leader R. Sampanthan met Hanny Megally, Chief, Asia, Pacific, Middle East and North Africa Branch, Field Operations and Technical Cooperation Division of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and his team of officials on September 20 at the office of the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations.
UN Resident Coordinator Subinay Nandy was also present. The TNA delegation comprised MPs Mavai Senathirajah, Suresh Premachandran, Selvam Adaikalanathan, P Selvarajah and M. A. Sumanthiran, Members of Parliament.
Mr.Sumanthiran told the Daily Mirror that his party discussed matters relating to land issues involving high security zones, particularly Valikamam and Sampur.
He said the displaced people had not been able to resettle because their lands had been taken over for military purposes.
A statement from the party said, “The matters discussed were about lands being taken over ostensibly for development purposes and on which, persons of the majority community were being settled, cultural and religious places being denied to the Tamil people, issues relating to demilitarization, disappearances, detenues, changes in the demographic composition in the North and the East, accountability and the evolution of an acceptable political solution.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sumanthiran said in Parliament around 100,000 soldiers, attached to 14 divisions, had been stationed in the north and the east. Also, he scoffed at the government’s claim that the northern economy by 22 percent.
“For this calculation, they have included the salaries paid to soldiers stationed in the area,” he said.
Also, he raised concerns about the increase of tobacco and liquor sales in the north and the east. (Kelum Bandara)
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