Sri Lanka to close last IDP camp

Sri Lankan authorities said the Menik Farm that once housed nearly 300,000 people displaced during the last phase of the LTTE war will be closed.

Colombo: Sri Lankan authorities Sunday said the Menik Farm that once housed nearly 300,000 people displaced during the last phase of the LTTE war will be closed Monday.

With the closure of the camp in the northern district of Vavuniya, there will be no more IDP camps in the country, a top military official said. "There won`t be any more IDP camps in Sri Lanka from tomorrow," said Major General Boniface Perera, the northern military commander. Some 361 families or 1186 people who were left to be resettled in the camp would be rehabilitated in the Mullaithivu district. "The biggest problem we faced in resettling people was the time taken to rid the area of land mines," Perera said. He said 295,873 people were originally housed at Menik Farm. They have been resettled from time to time. PTI