Colombo, July 26: The Sri Lankan government has announced a roadmap for the implementation of the recommendations of an ethnic reconciliation commission which was set up after a three-year war to end Tamil separatism.

Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to the Sri Lankan President, told newsmen here on Thursday that the cabinet had approved a National Action Plan (NAP) to implement the 285 recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

The plan, drafted by a small committee headed by Mr Weeratunga, covers a wide range of issues including human rights:

protection of land rights, post-war resettlement and restitution, compensation for losses suffered and ethnic reconciliation.

The plan has identified the ministries and agencies that should implement each recommendation. It has given each activity a time-frame for completion. For example, in the case of an army man violating human rights the investigations within the army should be completed in one year. Legal action as per Martial Law should be taken within two years and any further proceedings in a general court of law should be completed within two years.On the sensitive issue of land, the plan has said that a Land Commission should be appointed within two years to go into all the issues afresh. Within three months, the government should submit a report on the problems associated with alienation of state lands in the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern provinces.

Eighty per cent of land in Sri Lanka is held by the state. The alienation of state lands has been a sensitive issue with strong ethnic overtones.