NPC to seek direct response from SLA commander on transfer of cashew farms

The Chief Minister of Northern Province Justice C.V. Wigneswaran has initiated a move demanding a direct response from the commander of the SL military, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, on its repeated requests to hand over the cashew farms that are under the occupation of SL military stationed in Ki'linochchi and Mannaar districts to a civil authority. 

So far, no reply has been forthcoming from the military commanders in Poonakari and Mannaar on the matter raised by the NPC. 

The SL government leaders in Colombo were also avoiding official reply to the requests from the NPC. 

Even the SL State-owned Cashew Corporation was avoiding reply to the letters, NPC sources said. 

The LTTE had established the majority of the cashew farms in Vanni for the benefit of the people during the times of de-facto Tamil Eelam. 

But, the SL military, which occupied the Tamil homeland in 2009 started to operate the farms under its military administration. It was claiming that all properties seized from the LTTE belonged to the SL military. 

There is a large farm area, consisting 1,500 acres of lands in Poonakari alone.