Travel restrictions eased for festival

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The ban on travelling through Pungudutheevu to Nainatheevu will be lifted for of the annual festival (Thiruvila) at the Nagapooshani Amman Temple which begins on June 25. The New travel regulations were finalised at a high level meeting held on Monday at the 512 brigade head quarters.

The meeting was attended by senior Sri Lankan Army and Navy officers, as well as officials from the Jaffna Kachcheri, Transports board, and the Divisional Secretaries.

According to the new regulations, devotees will have to gather at a designated point at the Jaffna Bus terminal where their national identity cards would be collected by the army. The devotees would then be allowed to board busses to Kurikadduvan having been issued special identity cards. Any devotees not intending to stay overnight at the temple would have to return to the Jaffna town by 3 p.m. the same day.

The new regulations were seem to have been introduced to prevent contact between the Tigers and the people said sources. The Liberation Tigers is said to have a significant presence, said sources in Jaffna.

Related Articles:
28.05.98   Increased security in Jaffna islands
10.04.98   Stern warnings over LTTE contact
02.04.98   SLA warns against LTTE contact