Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) could not hold their demonstration on March 1 demanding immediate resettlement of people displaced from Valikaamam North now under occupation of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) as High Security Zone (HSZ), in front of Jaffna Secretariat because of pressure from Jaffna Government Agent (GA) K. Ganesh, Jaffna sources said.

The demonstration was to be organized by the Welfare Organizations for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) but the organisers had to call off the event for GA’s strong opposition.

Sources said the GA refused to accept the memorandum from the protestors saying that the issue of resettlement should not be made a political matter ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary election.

Meanwhile, the government officials in Jaffna have said that 1300 IDPs will be resettled in the HSZ but practically the resettlement will be in the no man’s land, the welfare organizations said.

The IDPs believe that this announcement by the government is nothing but eyewash and an election propaganda as some IDPs are already resettled in the no man’s land.

They said the GA is taking more time to settle the resettlement issue showing various reasons.