Sri Lankan authorities close another IDP zone

Sri Lankan authorities in charge of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the north have closed another zone of the relief village in Vavuniya yesterday.

Authorities closed the Zone-2 welfare centre of the Manik Farm relief village following the resettlement of 855 IDPs who were sheltered in the zone in Theravil of Puthukkudyiruppu in Mullaitivu district.

Earlier this month Sri Lanka Ministry of Resettlement closed the Zone-4 area of the Menik Farm relief village. With the closure of Zone 2 the number of relief villages have been reduced to four with only 15, 676 remaining in them.

During the final phase of the war in May 2009 over 280,000 displaced civilians who sought shelter in the government controlled areas were housed in the Manik Farm welfare village.

The government says the resettlement of the remaining IDPs in the camps will be completed once all landmines are cleared as most of the remaining IDPs in Manik Farm camps are from the uncleared areas of Mullaitivu.