SLA's failure to honor agreement, leaves thousands stranded

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 September 2005, 01:43 GMT]
About five thousand Tamil people who came from LTTE controlled areas through Uyilankulam checkpoint to attend Tamil Resurgence Convention Wednesday were stranded in Mannar town when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) failed to honor the agreement to reopen the checkpoint from 8 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. Wednesday, civil society sources said. During talks held earlier at Thallady main camp SLA agreed to Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians' request to keep the checkpoint open through extended hours.

The Uyilankulam checkpoint opens daily at 6 a.m and closes at 6 p.m. But the army authorities assured the TNA parliamentarians Mr.Sivanathan Kishore, Mr.Sivasakthi Ananthan and Mr.V Noharathalingam that they would reopen the checkpoint for about two and a half hours from 8.p.m. Wednesday.

Hundreds of people who rushed to the Uyilankulam checkpoint to enter the LTTE controlled area at the end of the Tamil Resurgence Convention at around 8.30 p.m. were told by soldiers that the checkpoint would only be open on Thursday morning around 6 a.m., sources said

Organizers of the convention made arrangements to provide shelter for stranded villagers in schools and other public buildings Wednesday night. Organizers said the SLA refused to honor the agreement because of the hoisting of Thamileelam national flag at the convention.