Palali flights suspended

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 October 2000, 15:38 GMT]
Flights to and from the airstrip in the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) base complex at Palaly in the northern Jaffna peninsula have been suspended, residents said Wednesday. The airport’s closure has been prompted by shelling by the Liberation Tigers, they quoted SLA officials as saying.

Jaffna residents said flights have not been landing at Palaly for the past 2 days. Correspondents there said a flight chartered by a political party to take campaigners to Jaffna had been forced to turn back. The airport which is an integral part of the SLA base complex also handles chartered civilian flights to the region.

Artillery shells fired by the Liberation Tigers mounting Operation Unceasing Waves 4 in the Thenmaradchchi division of the peninsula have hit areas of the sprawling Palaly base complex.

The Palali airstrip and the nearby KKS sea port are vital for supplies to reach the SLA garrison in Jaffna, as the Liberation Tigers hold the southern parts of the peninsula and vast areas of the mainland beyond.