Sirisena to make final call on Wilpattu resettlement issue

President Maithripala Sirisena says he will arrive at a final decision over the controversial resettlement of displaced people near a national forest in the northwest of the island.

The President made this revelation after he received a report prepared by environmental organizations on the controversial issue of the resettlement within Wilpattu Sanctuary boundaries.

Environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena representing several environmental organisations presented the report to President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat.

At the occasion, President Sirisena assured that he would not let any person to damage the environment. He assured to take the final decision on the resettlement in related areas after he gets the reports from parties appointed by him to inquire into this issue.

Environmentalists have been alleging that about 1,500 people have been resettled illegally in near Wilpattu during the previous regime under the purview of Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiudeen. The Minister has vehemently denied the charges.

At an event to mark the World Environment Day on Friday, the President drawing attention to the deforestation in the national park area said wrong political decisions have caused such environmental damage.

Addressing the issue when he met the heads of media institutions last month, the President said it was wrong to deforest the national park for resettlement of the displaced. He said while the displaced need to be provided land to be resettled, there should not be any deforestation of any conserved forest in the country.

He further told the media heads that the resettlement of the displaced people in the Wilpattu forest was done based on the directives issued by the former Government and added that investigations into the matter are ongoing.

The President has ordered the immediate halt of all deforestation assuring that actions for reforestation of the area will begin immediately.