The Minister said this in response to a question raised by UNP Colombo District MP Ravi Karunanayake.

Asked to inform the House of locations of refugee camps where people were detained after the North-East conflict, the Minister said that there were no such camps and no such detained persons.

Asked to state to the House the number of persons arrested as LTTE suspects since September 2010 to date, the minister said such a number was not known but 12,315 persons had been directed to the rehabilitation under the Ministry of rehabilitation.

For MP Karunanayake’s question demanding to know the number of suspects detained in each camp separately, the Minister said: “No camps are maintained under this ministry. But the Bureau of Commissioner General of Rehabilitation maintains protective accommodation and rehabilitation centres. At present there is only one protective accommodation and rehabilitation center and it is maintained at Poonthoddam, Vauniya and two female trainees and 77 male trainees are separately rehabilitated there.”

Those who undergo rehabilitation are offered training under the categories of educational, spiritual, development, social and communal trainings, vocational training and psychological and creative therapy.

The government had made arrangements for these rehabilitated persons to obtain loan facilities under 4 percent interest and to engage in their own trades and industries. They would never be tempted to engage in terrorist activities to threaten peace, the Minister said.

Asked by MP Karunanayke as to why these successes had not been informed to international community and human rights organizations in Geneva, Minister Gajadheera said that the government did not work with the intention of providing reports to Geneva and whatever had been done for the benefit of once-marginalized people were no secrets.

“All these rehabilitation and social integration projects have been publicized and they have been put up in Ministry web site too,” Minister Gajadheera said. (Special Reporter/HC)