President Maithripala Sirisena is scheduled to visit Jaffna on Pongal day (January 15) and hand over land deeds held till now by the security forces, to legitimate owners in the Northern Province.
In an interview to The Hindu on Sunday, President Sirisena has said he would soon set up a task force to find solutions to problems of the displaced persons.
Sri Lankan President Maithipala Sirisena has further said that only after his unscheduled visit to a camp for the internally displaced persons at Konapulam in Jaffna district 10 days ago did he find that there were people living there for the last 25 years. “I blame myself that I was not aware of the tragic situation of people.”
On repealing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), a long-standing demand of human rights activists and Tamil groups, he has told there existed a commonly held view that the Act had to be repealed. “When even powerful nations are grappling with problems... my government has to consider all factors before taking a decision.”
A Sri Lankan man was apprehended at Suvarnabhumi airport for attempting to smuggle wildlife out of the country after three ball pythons were found hidden in his underwear, the Bangkok post reported.
The UK government has unveiled a package of reforms to simplify imports from developing countries which allows for more garments manufactured in Sri Lanka to enter the UK tariff-free.
Read these and more on tomorrow’s edition of the Sunday Times
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