Tamil Nadu govt. orders survey to detect property purchases by Lankan refugees

The Tamil Nadu government has ordered the revenue department to undertake a detailed account of movable and immovable properties owned by Sri Lankan refugees in the state.

As per the government policy, refugees should not be allowed to buy property in the country. But it was not followed, leading to complications in some localities.

An official told PTI the Central government has sent several circulars asking the officials to keep a watch on the purchase of properties by the refugees.

The officials of the Q-Branch and the revenue department would conduct an initial survey of the properties owned by the refugees, followed by a detailed survey which would cover vehicles also.

With the officials having the list of refugees staying inside and outside the camps, it should not be a problem to find out the purchases made by the refugees, officials said.

But if the properties had been bought outside the state or in the border areas, it would be a problem. The officials would approach the residential localities where the refugees were staying and find out if any purchase had been made.

The help of the sub-registrar office also had been sought to find out the details.

The details about workshops, industrial units etc owned by the refugees were also being collected. The properties included land, house sites, houses, two-wheelers and heavy vehicles.

Source: Hindu

Clashes Kill 18 In Northern Sri Lanka

At least 16 Tamil Tiger rebels and two security personnel were killed in fresh clashes in Sri Lanka's restive northern region, the military said on Sunday.

Sri Lankan troops on Saturday had several confrontations in the Navatkulama, Chiraddikulama, Palamodai, Mundimurippu, Navvi and Kurukkolkulam areas on the Vavuniya front, the defense ministry said.

One security personnel lost his life in a The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) booby trap suspected to have been set up by the rebels in Jaffna's in Kilaly area on Sunday morning, the ministry reportedly confirmed.

It was not possible to independently verify the military's claims because media are banned from the northern jungles where much of the fighting takes place.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels have been battling for an independent homeland since 1972 in an ethnic conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

Source: AHN