SLN denies civilian movement to Jaffna Islets

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 August 2006, 07:48 GMT]
Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) guarding the Pannai Causeway, which connects Jaffna town with the islet villages of Mandaithivu, Allaippiddy, Mankumban and Kayts, continued to deny permission to internally displaced people to move to or from Jaffna town, civil society sources said.

More than 500 families from the islet villages who were left without enough food or proper medical facilities and had managed to come to the Pannai Causeway to escape being caught in the fighting were turned down by the SLN after 6 hours of waiting, Friday.

The same fate was experienced by the people of the islet villages, who had come to the peninsula for various purposes before the fighting, and who had wanted to return to see their relatives still living in the islet villages.

Meanwhile, 52 boys, the inmates of a Christian Orphanage in Mirusuvil, where bitter fighting took place, were taken the Bishop's House in Jaffna by the efforts of Mrs. Srinithy Nanthasekaran, Jaffna Additional Judge and officials from Child Protoction Department, civil society sources said.

The boys are now housed in Uduvil area.

At the same time, R.T.Viknarajah, Jaffna Magistrate, expressed concern about the increasing robberies in the Peninsula, accused the SLA as answerable, legal sources said.

Mr Viknarajah raised the matter with the Jaffna Army Commander in Palaly. The Commander assured the Judge that the SLA will carry out investigations through the Civil Coordinating Officer.

Meanwhile, gunmen rounded up 5 neighbouring houses situated in Seenivasagam Road in Jaffna town, broke open and robbed lacks of rupees worth of jewels and cash at gunpoint Wednesday night when the curfew was strictly on force.