The Government of Sri Lanka has dismissed the claims made by former president Mahinda Rajapaksa that the new government has closed 59 army camps in Tamil majority Northern Province since its installment in January this year.
Rajapaksa had said that 59 Lankan army camps in the Northern Province were shut down by the government led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, and warned that this would provide an opportunity for the revival of the Tamil Tiger terrorists.
The Colombo Page web site, however, quoted the General Secretary of the United National Party (UNP) and Cabinet Minister Kabir Hashim, as aying in a statement that Rajapaksa's allegation was untrue.
Hashim reportedly asserted that neither President Sirisena nor Prime Minister Wickramasinghe or the present government had issued orders for the removal of any of these army camps in the North.
He claimed that when Rajapaksa was in power, these camps were removed.
