The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has rubbished claims made by the government that it has commenced demining in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts.
TNA Jaffna District MP Suresh Premachandran told The Sunday Leader, “the government claims to have commenced demining in Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu but this is utter rubbish.”
According to him, not a single area in these two districts has been demined.
He claimed that international organisations have been barred from going into these areas and the government has even refused to allow Indians to carry out the demining.
“According to international reports, during the last stages of the war a large number of civilians were killed in these areas, maybe this is why they are not allowing international organisations to go into these areas because they might find evidence of such killings,” Premachandran alleged.
However, Government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella noted that demining was an extensive process and one cannot expect it to happen in a month or two.
“One can criticise it but logically, why should the government hold the people in camps incurring an enormous cost? We can send them out, but cannot, without giving them even the basic infrastructure. Or else there are chances they may take up arms again. So we have to be careful before rushing into anything which might result in long term repercussions,” he said.
TNA Rubbishes Govt.’s Demining Claims | The Sunday Leader
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