Forces in North reduced: Gota

23 August 2012 04:47 am

Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said the presence of security forces personnel in the North had been reduced with 28 battalions being moved to the East and the South.

He said the overall number of troops had been reduced by more than 21,000 since 2009.

Mr. Rajapaksa said the government would compensate the owners of the properties within the Palaly cantonment and provide them with alternate lands.
“It must be stressed that civilians have not occupied these lands for the past 20 to 25 years and it should also be noted that lands that had been forcibly taken from the people and occupied by the LTTE for many years have also been released to the legal owners,” he said.

Mr. Rajapaksa said the Northern residents enjoy their democratic rights and have equal and unrestricted access to the services offered by the state but there are a few pro-LTTE elements amongst the residents and within narrow ethnic-minded political parties.

“They may try to destabilise the peace if given the opportunity, the people in the North no longer have any reason to feel isolated or disfavoured,” he said speaking at the 5th Annual Symposium organised by the Kotelawala Defence University. The theme for this year’s symposium is, ‘Ensuring National Security Through Reconciliation and Sustainable Development’.

“It is our duty as Sri Lankans to put the past behind us and build a bright future for our nation. In this regard, it is essential that there is no longer any suspicion of discrimination or unequal treatment that might encourage people to follow an undemocratic path and bring back the divisions of the past,” Mr. Rajapaksa said. (SD)