SLA blocks engineers from entering Point Pedro HSZ

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 April 2003, 00:45 GMT]
The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday refused permission for a team of engineers of the State Engineering Corporation to enter the Point Pedro post office premises to assess the damage caused to the post office buildings, saying that the post office is located within the high security zone (HSZ), sources said.

The Postal Ministry has taken steps to renovate the damaged post office buildings thorughout the Jaffna district. As a part of this programme, a team of engineers of the State Engineering Corporation arrived in Jaffna Friday to assess the damage caused during the war to the post office buildings in various parts of the district, sources said.

The team had already visited Chavakachcheri and Karainagar and prepared estimates for the rehabilitation of post offices in these areas.

The team Friday went to Point Pedro to inspect the damaged buildings there. As the Point Pedro post office is located in the HSZ near the harbour, the team officials approached the SLA for permission to enter the post office premises. But the SLA refused permission, saying that they could not allow anyone to enter the HSZ, sources said.

Now the Postal Ministry officials have sought the assistance of the Defence Ministry to permit State Engineering Corporation officials to enter the HSZ and inspect the site, sources said.

The Point Pedro post office was destroyed in 1985 due to military operations.

The Sri Lanka Army later located its 512 Brigade in Point Pedro and occupied the post office building following the capture of the peninsula by the SLA, sources said.