North to be treated equally - Jaffna Commander

by Tennekoon Kulasekera and Ananda Pathiraja - NCP correspondents

The objective of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to provide the people of the North with all the facilities and privileges enjoyed by the people in the South, Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe said on Saturday.He made these comments after inaugurating the Sinhala and Tamil New Year festival at Marathanamadam ground in Chunnakam in Jaffna.

He said the people in the North who had been battered by the three decades long war are now enjoying a free lifestyle after the defeat of the LTTE in May last year.

Major General Hathurusinghe said that the Sri Lanka Army under the guidance and the leadership of the President was doing its best to restore and improve the livelihood of the Jaffna people after allowing them to engage in fishing and other activities.

"The Government under the Uthuru Vasanthaya program is taking speedy action to improve the infrastructure facilities like housing, water, sanitation, health, education and transport in the North for the betterment of the resettled people in the North", Major General Hathurusinghe said.

More than 40,000 displaced families have already been resettled in the North.

He said that the de-mining activities in Vadamarachchi and Muhamalai areas are now being speeded up under the supervision of a foreign de-mining company and the area will be suitable for resettlement once the de-mining activities are over.