
Prisoners from south to grow vegetables for SLA in Jaffna
Plans are well under way to bring 200 long term prisoners from south to the HSZ in Jaffna to grow the vegetable requirements for the more than 50,000 military persons in Jaffna.
Presently 1.5 tons of vegetables are air lifted to Jaffna from the south. Confirming the news military spokesperson, Brigadier Prasath Samarasinghe, said that the prisoners will be kept in an open air prison and used for the vegetable growing project. Due to the tight HSZ restrictions they will not be able escape. Commissioner of the prisons has also agreed to this plan. There is heavy objection among the people of Jaffna for this project. Jaffna people have charged that this project is the first phase of a plan to settle Sinhala people in Jaffna and SLA is bringing the worst type of people to Jaffna for this. Consortium Non-Governmental Organizations has also condemned this plan of SLA.
14 March 2006
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