Police registration will not inconvenience civilians - IGP

By Ananth PALAKIDNAR

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Inspector General of Police Jayantha Wickramaratne has assured that today's police registration of civilians from the north who have been living in the Western Province for the past five years will be done without causing any inconvenience to them. The Police Chief gave this assurance when Minister of Social Services and Jaffna District Parliamentarian Douglas Devananda expressed concern over the safety and convenience of the northern civilians who will register today with the police for security reasons.

According to Minister Devananda, the IGP has called for the cooperation of all civilians from the north living temporarily in the Western Province for the past five years in the registration process with the police and to bring whatever documents they possess to prove their presence in the province for the past five years.

The IGP had also told the Minister that special police teams have been set up to look into the registration process with directives to deal with maximum care and tolerance.

Elaborating on today's registration of northerners, the Police Chief said that the measure would help the civilians and the security personnel in dealing with all sorts of terror activities in the Western Province. The registration of Northern civilians who have been living in Colombo temporarily will begin at 8 a.m. today and continue till 6 p.m. Arrangements have also been made for the northern civilians living in the Western Province to go to the police stations and community centres to register themselves with the police.

Refreshments will be provided for the northern civilians who register themselves today with the police in the Western Province. Meanwhile, the All Ceylon Hindu Congress (ACHC) has appealed to the Police Chief to exempt those over 55 years and sick persons.

The ACHC also said that the process should be carried out without causing any difficulties to the civilians.