Charles Nirmalanathan, Member of Parliament for Vanni district, has called on the government to equip farmers with guns to safeguard their crops from monkeys and other intruders.
In a letter to the Defense Minister, the MP highlighted the plight of Vanni farmers, who have been compelled to abandon their agricultural activities due to vandalism and monkey attacks.
Nirmalanathan previously raised this issue in Parliament but received an unsatisfactory response from the government.
The MP emphasized the severe challenges faced by Vanni farmers due to the Ministry of Defense’s refusal to grant permission for firearms to Tamil residents in the north.
Notably, the decision to send monkeys to China, which would have provided some relief, has been reversed.
The MP also stated that the population there is an influx of wildlife including monkeys in the Vanni region due to wildlife officials releasing monkeys into the Vanni forest region. This has led to an increase in damage to crops and scarcity of food.
MP Charles Nirmalanathan further requests in his letter that if the government has withdrawn the decision to send monkeys to China, then they should at least be sympathetic to the situation faced by Vanni farmers and make a decision to provide them with guns to protect their crops.
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