MEDIA personnel, attached to several leading foreign news agencies, radio services and TV stations, in the company of their counterparts from more than fifteen local media organizations, during a tour to Vavuniya and Mannar areas on Wednesday (23) received a first-hand knowledge on ongoing Rehabilitation and Resettlement programmes after mingling with civilians and youngsters under rehabilitation.
The media tour, organized by Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) and coordinated by Military Spokesman Brigadier V.U.B Nanayakkara included 36 media personnel, serving both local and foreign organizations covering Reuters, Associated Press (AP), Agencies France Presse (AFP), The Hindu, Al Jazeera, All India Radio, Press Trust of India (PTI), Indian Express, Rupavahini, ITN, Swarnavahini, Derana, Deepam TV, Max TV, ETV, TV Lanka, TNL, Siyatha TV, The Island and Divaina, Lakbima, Lankadeepa, Rivira, Express Newspapers, Thinakkural, Dinamina and Silumina, The Sunday Observer and Silumina and Irida Lakbima newspapers.
The coterie of media personnel on arrival at Wanni Security Forces Headquarters received a comprehensive account of developments, related to displaced people, currently resident in Wanni Relief Villages, newly resettled civilians in the Wanni sector and LTTE cadres under rehabilitation in different places. Major General Kamal Gunaratne, Commander Security Forces, Wanni made the presentation on behalf of all the authorities before media personnel moved out to visit the Punthottam Rehabilitation centre where some 370 former LTTE cadres were receiving rehabilitation on the directives of the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation Major General Daya Rathnayake, Ministry of Justice. Those visiting journalists saw for themselves how those youngsters were receiving a revival for their new life and talked to them in order to learn what they have gathered so far after renouncing violence.
Media personnel as the second leg of their itinerary later on stopped at Piramankulam-Periyathampane humanitarian de-mining sites where the French de-mining team (FSD) was busy removing LTTE laid minefields in the area.
The next stop for the visitors was the Menik Farm (Zone-0), the Government-established Relief Village with semi-permanent buildings where some 21,726 displaced people were initially housed, but reduced to a total of 7077 as at present. The visiting journalists spoke to them and inquired into their well-being, requirements, if any and intended future plans after their exit from those relief centres at the earliest.
With a view to receiving an update on prevailing conditions in relation to newly resettled civilians in the Mannar sector, the journalists afterwards to Mannar, Adampan area. Most of them in their original places of residence after return were adapting to the new environment after absence of so many years.
Brigadier V.U.B. Nanayakkara, Military Spokesman and Brigadier D.S. Weerasekara, representing Commissioner General Rehabilitation were also associated with the visit.
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