Inter- Agency Advisory Committee appointed to implement LLRC interim report

By Uditha Jayasinghe

An Inter-Agency Advisory Committee has been appointed by the president to implement the recommendations of the interim Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) report that was handed over recently.

The Media attending the Cabinet briefing was told that the aim of this Committee was to ensure that the confidence of the LLRC was maintained and to fast track the recommendations that it has made. The Chairman of the Committee is the Attorney General and he will be assisted by the Secretary Defence, Secretary Public Administration and Home Affairs, Secretary Justice Ministry, Secretary Economic Affairs Ministry, Secretary, Presidential Task Force for Resettlement, Development and Security in the Northern Province, Secretary Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms and Secretary External Affairs.

Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella insisted that most of the key recommendations made by the LLRC were already in the process of being implemented. The main points highlighted include measures to dispose of the cases of persons in detention as expeditiously as possible, assuring the public on land issues through a government statement that private land would not be utilised for settlement by any government agency, and strengthening law and order in the formerly conflict affected areas through disarming any illegal armed groups. Resolution of administration and language issues as well as facilitating livelihood was also mentioned as matters to be addressed. The committee will be focusing on these points as the first phase of the implementation process, Rambukwella said.