Sri Lanka's army commander, Lieutenant General Crishantha de Silva this week rejected statements made by politicians that military camps in the North would be scaled back, stating that no decision had been made.
“No decision has been taken to remove Army camps in the North and there is no truth behind this claim,” he was quoted by the Daily Mirror as saying on Thursday, whilst addressing a press briefing at the Colombo Defence Seminar.
“Everyone should know what an Army camp is. A camp is a permanent facility for the lodging of army personnel. We are going to keep only the required area for the camp, and will release the rest of the land. Army camps will be placed at the right places,” he added.
“When considering the security situation in the former conflict areas, those areas are peaceful as any other parts of the country. Sri Lanka Army will ensure that national security concerns are addressed."
Last week Tamils in Paravipanchan, Kilinochchi called off their long running hunger strike against the navy camp which is currently occupying their homes, after the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan said the defence secretary said the land would be released in two weeks.
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