Misinterpretations on resettlement is highly regrettable- Defence Spokesman

"Resettling over 100,000 IDPs is not a bed of roses, but misinterpretation on the government's genuine effort to bring back normalcy to the Vakarai civilians is certainly regrettable" said the government Defence Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella today (Wednesday the 21st of March).

Speaking at a media briefing held at MCNS, Colombo, the minister said that government has liberated the Vakarai from tiger clutches and made the areas fully safe. He also pointed out that it is a basic right of all humans to live where they are born and only very few would complain on going back to home.

However, the Minister accepted that the process is not without problems but the government has established mechanisms such as "Jathika Saviya" to deal with them then and there. He requested media to empathize with the situation and make the public aware on the reality.

Referring to the human right council presently going on Geneva, Minster told that the government has nothing to hide or to be afraid since it had already taken all possible measures against human rights violation. He revealed that a special unit, the Victim and Witness Assistance and Protection unit has been established to ensure the safety of those who make complaints on human rights violations. However, the Minster emphasized that the government would not agree with any outside intervention to the internal affairs since it is a violation of democratic rights of the SL citizens.

Finally, the Minister revealed the latest government initiative to enhance the protection minority rights. The Minster told the government in near future will appoint retired officials to each police station as Tamil translators to ensure the right of Tamil speaking people to the protection of law. He said that such officials will be available for 24 hours in each police station and therefore the language barrier would not be a problem in future for the equal access to the law.