Minister cancels visit to Trincomalee

Sri Lankan cabinet minister was forced to call off a proposed visit to a northeastern city after life was brought to a standstill with pro-Tamil group protests yesterday over alleged harassment by security forces.

Lands Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne, who had planned a visit to distribute land to civilians in the northeastern port city of Trincomalee and take up questions related to land issue during a four-day mobile service programme organised by his ministry, called off the programme at the last moment. The Tamil Organisations Federation in Trincomalee had organised the protest campaign.

Trincomalee district chief government administrator, N. Nelumdeniya, told people gathered in front of the district land minitsry branch that the minister's visit was cancelled and those who had come to attend the mobile service could hand over their complaints to the officials concerned.

Senaratne's media officer Mahilal Seneviratne, who arrived with a group of Colombo-based journalists, also left.

It was not immediately clear whether the organisers timed the protest campaign to coincide with the government programme.

However, reports from the area said that the protest seemed to have been hurriedly organised as the government officials in the area were unaware of the protest campaign.

A Tamil parliamentarian known to be a pro-Tamil guerrilla member had expressed displeasure about the land distribution programme taking place when the government had not reached a final solution to the ethnic issue.

The member R. Sampanthan said, "Land distribution is an important issue. We cannot accept any decision taken in regard to the land problem at a time when the peace process is underway and also before the establishment of an interim administrative structure for the northeast."