Minister rejects accusations that EPDP is involved in rights violations

Social Affairs Minister and the head of the Task Force, Douglas Devananda, told BBC Sandeshaya that he was given ‘unlimited powers’ to develop the north.

“My limit is sky and my sky is the president,” the minister said.

The Task Force is comprised of Presidential Advisor and president’s brother, Basil Rajapaksa, and Resettlement Minister, Risath Badiurdeen.

Consulting other groups

Intellectuals, religious leaders, former militant groups and Sri Lankan diaspora will be consulted in developing the north under the Task Force, minister Devananda said.

My limit is sky and my sky is the president Minister Douglas Devananda

He also hopes to hold talks with the leader of the Tamil United liberation Front (TULF), V Anandasangari.

The TULF leader who long proposed “Indian model” in resolving Sri Lanka’s national question, the minister said, has recently changed his mind to support an interim measure.

“There hasn’t been any attempt towards a political solution since Indo-Sri Lanka accord,” Mr. Devananda told BBCSinhala.com.

Local police unit

The powerful Task Force, he said, hopes to establish a separate police unit in the north as an attempt to establish peace in the volatile region.

	The Task Force expects to hold talks with the TULF leader

The Task Force also expect to re-open the main supply route to Jaffna, the A-9 highway, which has been closed since 2006.

“If I could do that, I think it will be a great step in ending the war,” he said.

The minister, who is also the leader of the Ealam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP), denied accusations that EPDP is involved in human rights violations in the north.

Describing the accusations as “politically motivated”, Mr. Devananda expressed hope that the establishment of a regional police would help reduce rights violations.