SLN closes land route Jaffna islets

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 September 2006, 12:27 GMT]
Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) closed the only land route to Jaffna islets through Allaipiddy from Sunday morning, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Civilians are stranded on either side of the closed road, and with the shortage of essential items prevailing in Jaffna district, islets' residents will suffer further deterioration of living conditions, civil society members said.

Residents of islets have already been affected by severe shortage of fuel, and with communication links to the islets cut by security forces, few details of the condition in the islets are reaching Jaffna, added concerned civil leaders in Jaffna.

In the last several weeks, when the SLN conducted search operations in various regions in the islets, the SLN soldiers regularly close the road at the Allaipiddy checkpoint.

The road was closed from morning until evening last Friday, 15 September.

Sources in Jaffna said that they cannot confirm whether the SLN has embarked on a similar search operation in the islets.

Residents of islets of Delft, Punguduthivu, Analaitivu, Eluvaitivu and Velanai off the east cost of Jaffna Peninsula use the land route through Allaipiddai to travel to and from the Jaffna.