Surrendered LTTE members are 'to be sent to Vavuniya and Pallekele'

Minister in charge of disaster management and human rights told BBC Sandeshaya that the LTTE cadres who surrendered to the military are kept in special detention centres.

"There are LTTE members who came with civilians. They are at present in Camps in Ambepussa, Welikanda and Thirappane," he said.

"There are about a 1000 to be sent to the Vocational Training centre in Vavunia. This will be done under court orders. In addition there is a facility in Pallekele that will also be used in future for the rehabilitation of former LTTE members".

Resettling elderly

Nearly 2000 elderly displaced people are already temporary resettled with their relatives or friends, according to the minister.

There are LTTE members who came with civilians. They are at present in Camps in Ambepussa, Welikanda and Thirappane Minister Samarasinghe

"We would continue to resettle these elderly people and in fact we would want to put this on the fast track," Minister Samarasinghe said.

He said that a church and a Hindu temple in Mannar has agreed to house the elderly.

The United Nations and the Western authorities have called on the government to allow free movement of IDPs and open the camps for aid workers.

The UN is also urging the government to allow its workers access to screening centres in the north where people fleeing the battle field are screened by the military.

Minister Samarasinghe added that the government is seeking legal advice on an amnesty to LTTE cadres who surrender.

TNA response

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the biggest Tamil party in Sri Lanka parliament, has called on the government to hand over the control of the camps to the United Nations.

	TNA urges the government to hand over the camps to the UN

TNA parliamentarian MK Shivajilingam questioned the strategy of the government to resettle the displaced elderly.

Minister Samarasinghe says that the government is on a fast track to temporarily resettle people over the age of 60 outside the camps.

"What if the husband is 62 and wife is 58? Then the wife and maybe the children will have to stay in the camps while the husband is allowed to stay with relatives," MP Shivajilingam said.

He told BBC Sandeshaya that over 100 LTTE suspects were killed in a detention camp and some others were killed in prison during the past few decades.

"What happened in Bindunuwewa camp? What happened in Welikada prison in 1983?," asked MP Shivajilingam.