Army presence in the North cannot be condoned - Vigneshwaran
October 25, 2013 02:38 pm
The newly appointed
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Vigneshwaran stated today (October 25) that
he cannot condone the army’s presence in the North based on national security.
He said that the army
has to stop acquiring land for their own use and return it to its rightful
owners while mechanisms must be in place to ensure that this happens.
He promised to focus
on resettling those who were driven from their homes in the North during the
1990s.
The Chief Minister
also revealed that it was wrong to act without understanding the language,
culture and civilization of the Tamil community while he added that police had
become an obstacle to the people of the North in their daily affairs. He added
that it would therefore be wise to recruit people of the North to the police force
in the area.
He assured the people
that he will not allow corruption within his time as Chief Minister and will
work to rehabilitate those who are disrespectful to public service.
Vigneshwaran stressed
that the people of the South should not consider the people of the North as
separatists but he condemned the army’s alleged involvement in illegal resettlement
in the North.
He also added that
the Northern harbour must be re-established in order to help develop the
country.
