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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

Kilinochchi Troops Shrink Their Locations Releasing More Lands to Civilian Owners

Security Force Headquarters, Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN), in consistent with the government’s policy of releasing lands of civilians hitherto used for security purposes, returned 21 more plots of  land of the SFHQ-KLN premises, Pooneryn, Mulankavil and Pulliyankulam areas to their rightful owners on Monday (24).

The symbolic release of those lands, a move which made owners’ dream come true, came about due to SFHQ – KLN initiatives. Award of monetary grants to 23 affected families who had lost a child of their family, either in warfare or terrorist violence and the distribution 93 milking cows among Kilinochchi civilians, took place concurrently at the ‘Harmony Centre’ during a brief and colourful ceremony, headed by Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army, Chief Guest of the day.

In collaboration with the District Secretariat for Kilinochchi, Ministries of Resettlement, Rehabilitation and different other state agencies, the SFHQ – KLN, succeeded in screening and confirming the identities of those rightful owners before documents were processed for return of their lands and award of financial grants to those aggrieved families.

At the same venue, the Army launching one more exceptional project, purely on humanitarian grounds and as a move towards harmony and reconciliation, gave away Rs 1 lakh each to 23 affected families whose children, have fallen victim to the warfare before May 2009. The move was poised to improve economic and living standards of those families since they were without one breadwinner in the family. Ministry of Rehabilitation in response to the Army request, had made grants available for award of such assistance.

Distribution of 93 milking cows, which the Army received as a gift from an estate owner in the Kurunegala district, also occured in the Harmony Centre premises around the same time at the request of the Commander, SFHQ – KLN.

The visiting Commander of the Army symbolically delivered a few of those animals to civilians, engaged in animal husbandry in the area with a view to helping their economic conditions.

Each cow, worth about Rs 30,000/- was transported by the Army to the homesteads of the recipients after the ceremony was over.

The visiting Commander, together with Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Commander, SFHQ – KLN afterwards responded to several Media queries, presented by a group of journalists, including those from the North, in which the Commander explained what the Army has been doing.

The Commander speaking to them said that the Army wholeheartedly wants to help the public in whatever the way possible for improvement of their lives and development and is therefore dedicated to the promotion of ethnic harmony and reconciliation.

He also requested the Media to help those moves and support in the apprehension of those trying to disturb the hard-earned peace in the North.