SLA tightens restriction on food, fuel transport to Muttur

[TamilNet, Thursday, 10 November 2005, 17:57 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) tightened their restriction on transport of goods including eggs, meat and fuel into Muttur east from army controlled areas through the checkpoint of the SLA Kaddaiparichchan army camp from this week. SLA has also barred Muttur east fishermen from fishing after 6 p.m. as they have to pass through the high security zone for deep sea fishing, Mr.S.Elilan, LTTE Trincomalee district political head said Thursday. Muttur east is held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

An owner of an eating-house in a Muttur east village was not allowed to take two hundred eggs to his village through the SLA checkpoint on Tuesday. Soldiers at the checkpoint had queried the trader whether he was taking the eggs to prepare birthday cake for LTTE leader Mr.Pirapaharan whose birthday falls on 26 November.

Soldiers allowed the trader to take the meat he brought from army-controlled area after sustained protest but not the eggs, Mr.Elilan said.

Mr.Elilan said farmers are allowed to take about 5000 litres of diesel a month to Muttur east areas where more than one hundred and fifty tractors are being used to plough fields for Maha crop paddy cultivation, Mr.Elilan said.

Mr.Elilan said a Tamil youth was arrested by soldiers at the Kaddaiparichchan army camp for taking three compact discs (CD) containing LTTE songs.

This is an act interfering in the fundamental rights of Tamil civilians. LTTE is not a prohibited organization in Sri Lanka, he said.

Mr.Elilan said the SLA routinely interferes in preventing rehabilitation and reconstruction work now being undertaken by several non-governmental organizations in the Muttur east.