Sri Lanka PM expresses regret

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake on Sunday expressed `regret' over Thursday's eviction of 376 "jobless Tamils" living temporarily in lodges in Colombo and suburbs to their places of permanent residence in the north and east.

Addressing a news conference here, Mr. Wickramanayake said his Government accepted "responsibility" for what happened and said such incidents would not recur. However, he was not ready at this juncture to pin the blame on anyone.

On Friday, President Mahinda Rajapaksa called for an immediate report from Inspector-General of Police Victor Perera on the `manner' of eviction, amid reports that the Tamils were put to great hardship and inconvenience.

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