The national anthem was sung in Tamil in the presence of President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at an event, where the lands taken over by the military to establish a High Security Zone were handed back to the legitimate owners at Valalaai, Valikamam East on Monday (23).

The land owners who were internally displaced from Vasavilan, Valalaai in the Thellipalai and Koppay areas were given the documents to have their lands back by President Maithripala Sirisena, who had pledged the government’s support to resolve the humanitarian problems faced by the people in the war-torn North.

Minister of Resettlement and Reconstruction D.M. Swaminathan, Northern Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran, TNA Parliamentarians, former Minister Douglas Devananda and the Northern Provincial Councillors were present at the event.

The ITAK Leader and the General Secretary of the Tamil National Alliance commenting on the event said that though the TNA appreciated the new government’s move to hand back the lands of the people in the North, the lands that are still in the possession of the Security Forces should also be released to the civilians.

Courtesy:Ceylon Today