The payment of compensation to terrorist and civil commotion victims has been expedited, Prison Reforms and Rehabilitation Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera said.

Compensation for most of the terrorist and civil commotion victims in the Northern and Eastern Provinces has been paid at meetings in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Vavuniaya, Mullaitivu and Batticaloa.

Compensation for 1983 July riot victims was also paid, the Minister said.

He added that the Government and Opposition Parliamentarians in the area also attended these meetings. The Parliamentarians had expressed satisfaction over the expeditious payment of compensation.

Over Rs.15 million was paid as compensation at the last meeting in Batticaloa, according to Ministry sources.

A project to assist poor people in the Northern and Eastern Provinces had been launched by REPIA, the rehabilitation arm of the Prison Reforms and Rehabilitation Ministry.

REPIA Chairman E.A. Samarasingha said that a low interest housing loan scheme and a grant scheme for self-employment projects were launched for the needy.

Applications for financial assistance should be submitted to REPIA through the Grama Niladharis and Divisional Secretaries. REPIA will provide 1,000 housing loans at four percent interest for those in Kilinochchi, Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya, sources said.REPIA will also provide a grant of Rs.250,000 for small scale self-employment ventures in agriculture, small industries or fishing.

The grants will be released after the evaluation of project proposals by an evaluation team, the Chairman said.