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| Let us see if LTTE does not respond - Mahinda Samarasinghe |
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 (Lanka-e-News, January 31, 2009, 8.25 AM) Minister of Disaster management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe hopes that LTTE will respond to the day before yesterday’s (29) plea of the President Mahinda Rajapakse as the state head to release the civilians held in LTTE territories.
Addressing a press briefing held in the Presidential Secretariat this evening (30), the Minister said that the civilians have the right to free mobility and the state will take steps to provide solutions to their problems after they arrive in the government administered areas.
The Minister emphasized that the 48 hours given to the LTTE to release the people would not be a ceasefire by any means.
In response to a query from a journalist what measures would follow if LTTE would not response positively, the Minister said, “Let us see!” He insisted that the war against terror would continue and all the LTTE-held areas would be captured.
When a journalist posed a question regarding the population in the uncleared areas, the Minister quoted the Mullaithivu District Secretary who pointed out this morning that the number of the families in the area was 20,000. The population amounted to 90,000 according to the District Secretary. The Minister said that around 1/3 of the names in the list of the persons receiving humanitarian aid was fake and the exact population in the area could not exceed 120,000.
The Minister said that the emailed news that 300 civilians were killed in the clashes and about 1000 were injured in war was baseless.
The Secretary of the Ministry of Health Athula Kahanda Liyanage said that Medical Superintendents of both Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu, Sathyamoorthi and Wardharaja, had verified him that the data was incorrect and not provided by them.
The Secretary said that medicine was sent to these areas four days ago and previously also and the propaganda that there was a shortage of medical facilities was incorrect. He pointed out that 40 doctors were on duty in Kilinochchi and Mulaithivu hospitals and the hospitals were operating round the clock.
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Responding to the allegations that the civilians were killed, Minister Samarasinghe said that LTTE had given weapons to some people and they had been placed on duty before their bunkers. He asked how one could rationalize these persons as civilians.
The Army Commander made an extensive clarification before the representatives of the UN agencies and diplomats this morning, the Minister said. The Army Commander emphasized that the civilians would not be targeted by any means. The Minister said the security forces had identified the artillery position of the LTTE through satellite technology. They have verified that civilians were not in the area and the position will be targeted in the coming few days, he says. |
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