COLOMBO: The United Nations has expressed concern over non-resettlement of Tamil war refugees in their original villages in the former conflict zone in North Lanka on the grounds that the armed forces need these villages for their camps and other facilities.

Subinay Nandy, UN Humanitarian Coordinator, said in a statement here on Monday that 346 people belonging to 110 families, who had been taken from the Menik Farm refugee camp to Kepapilavu in Mullaitivu District, were unable to return to their villages because these had been occupied by the military.

Nandy pointed out that the returnees were being relocated in government-owned land where they were expected to wait for formal confirmation of what was going to happen to their land and what kind of compensation would be provided if they could not return to their original homes.