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Govt., UNHCR differ on buffer zone
There is growing ambiguity on the Government's decision to enforce a minimum 100 metres buffer zone along the coast of Sri Lanka with a senior Government Minister admitting that there is no final decision on the issue and the UNHCR saying "there is no clarity" on the matter.

Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama told The Sunday Times that the matter was still under discussion. UNHCR Coordinator Neil Wright told The Sunday Times that the organisation has raised the issue a couple of weeks ago but that there was no confirmation on the issue.

"We are not opposing the buffer zone. The Government is fulfilling its responsibility in trying to prevent loss of life if there is another tsunami. What we are doing is to make the Government aware that people are anxious to know whether they will be displaced by the Government's decision", he said.

Mr. Wright added that the Government was going to decide on this quickly but said Parliamentary approval was also vital for a final decision. He also said the extension of the Buffer Zone to 200 metres in the North and the East was a technical issue. "The North-East area is geologically more sensitive than the Southern region. The biggest threat to Sri Lanka will be on the North-East region."

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