New managed elephant reserve in Sooriyawewa : Chamal

COLOMBO (News1st): A new plan has been formulated to set-up a new managed elephant reserve in Sooriyawewa, irrigation minister Chamal Rajapaksa has said. "We have asked the regulations to be given to us in a couple of weeks," the minister said on Thursday. He made these remarks amist fast unto death campaign launched by farmers seeking a solution to the human elephant conflict in Walaspulla area in Sooriyawewa. The manager of the Mayurapura division of the Mahaweli Authority requested farmers to end the fast by promising that the problem would be resolved through a gazette notification within a month. However, the protesters refused to accept the undertaking and insisted that the protest would be called off once the problem is resolved. Hambantota district Secretary W.H. Karunaratne held discussions with the protestors today and said that talks will take place with the subject minister on the 28th of this month. But, the farmers refused to accept this as well. Meanwhile, a group of farmers cultivating in the proposed wild elephant management reserve in Hambantota, who arrived at the scene protested against the farmers who were staging the fast.