by Dilanthi Jayamanne
Those internally displaced persons (IDP’s) currently residing in the southern parts of the country interested in returning to their homes in the North East should get in touch with the Government Agent of the area they are living in. The national survey on IDP’s has filtered to the rest of the country, Head of the Policy Planning and Co-ordination Unit, Dr. A. S. Kunasingham said on Thursday.

He said that the survey had proceeded smoothly with the co-operation of the people. "The GA’s of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu have requested for more forms from the Ministry to meet the demand of the large numbers who have been displaced by the North East war within these 20 years.

The forms which request information regarding the present situation of the internally displaced, also gather information of the homes, the land and the jobs that they had before they were displaced.

According to statistics given by the ministry in Anuradhapura the total number of internally displaced persons are 10,319, in Kilinochchi 61,635, in Mullaithivu 93,610 and in Polonnaruwa 1,590. Persons internally displaced receive food assistance under the Ministry of Rehabilitation.

Dr. Kunasingham said that the survey in Mannar had ended and that only the summary remained to be drawn up. "That too could be done in another three or four days," he said.

The summary reports of the information on IDP’s gathered in the districts of Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Mullaithivu, Jaffna and Puttalam would take around ten days to be completed, he said.

The Ministry hopes to complete the survey by the end of this month.

Meanwhile, the Sinhala Veera Vidhana (SVV) has written to the Minister of Rehabilitation Resettlement and Refugees, Dr. Jayalath Jayawardane requesting a meeting in the interest of the Sinhala IDP’s, Secretary of the SVV, Priyantha Ratnayake said. The letter which was sent on April 11 is yet to be acknowledged by the Minister. "We have still not even been able to contact him over the phone," he said.

According to him more than 80% of the Sinhala IDP’s wish to return to their old homes in the North East, but they also wish to be ensured of their safety and livelihood. Most of them have been owners of 20 to 30 acres of land in the North East.

Ratnayake said that the Veera Vidhana wanted to meet with the Minister essentially to ask for compensation for the Sinhala IDP’s.

The SVV which is a National list organisation said that they had already formed a committee comprising of eight members from the organisation itself and four persons from the Sinhala IDP’s of the South.