SLA - fishermen clash in Katkovalam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2004, 14:41 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Saturday did not allow hundreds of fishermen of coastal village, Katkovalam in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district to go for fishing following an altercation between a soldier and a fisherman, civil sources said.

An army soldier Saturday morning assaulted a fisherman when the latter failed to produce pass at a sentry point in Katkovalam coast and the victim fisherman retaliated.

Army officials in the area immediately rushed to the site and settled the dispute amicably.

However, later the army soldiers manning the sentry point did not allow fishermen to go for fishing as an act of revenge, sources said.

Army officials later held discussion with the representatives of the fisheries co-operative society of the area and brought a consensus between the parties concerned.

Thereafter army soldiers allowed fishermen to go for fishing, civil sources said.