The Chief Minister of the Northern Provincial Council C. V. Wigneswaran condemned the heavy Sri Lankan military presence in the Tamil North-East of the island, stating that is was causing fear across the region.
Addressing the Northern Province Tourism development conference on Saturday, Wigneswaran highlighted the danger that women in particular faced from the Sri Lankan military, stating that there were 150,000 soldiers in the Northern Province.
Wigneswaran said the situation was getting worse, adding,
“The government is restricting our independence by considering North-East provinces as foreign regions that need to be under supervision, even after the war has ended.”
He went on to say that the economy of the Tamil region has also been hindered by military interference, noting fishermen from the South have been able to fish with army supervision, whilst locals had been barred. Wigneswaran also complained that the military is building restaurants, sports grounds and hotels to attract tourists. Hotels have already been constructed in Kangesanthurai and Karainagar, said the Chief Minister.
Over 2,000 cases had been filed in court challenging the military intrusion into people’s livelihoods said Wigneswaran, yet no progress has been made.
See more of his comments in the Uthayan (in Tamil) here.