Oamanthai checkpoint to open five days

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 August 2007, 21:15 GMT]
International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) Kil'inochchi residential representative Katya Lawrence had informed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) administration that the entry/exit point between LTTE controlled Vanni and GoSL controlled Vavuniyaa town will be open for public for five days in a week, according to LTTE's NGO and U. N. Liaison Officer M. Pavarasan. Public will be able to use the gateway to Vanni from 9:00 a.m to 5:00 p.m, Monday to Friday, weekly.

"We welcome the effort of the ICRC which has helped to increase the number of days from three to five for the use of the public. As we had requested earlier, the check point should be open all days of the week to ease the critical situation in the Vanni related to the transport of essential goods to Vanni people," Pavarasan said.

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) Thursday discussed the operation of the only entry/exit point between the LTTE controlled Vanni and GoSL controlled Vavuniyaa town.

LTTE officials said they had asked the ICRC to keep the Oamanthai checkpoint open for seven days a week to enable the people of Vanni to get provisions and other commodities uninterrupted.

The request was made when LTTE representatives met Toon Vandenhove, Sri Lankan Country Director of ICRC and Katya Lawrence, the resident Representative of ICRC in Ki'linochchi, Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ki'linochchi Government Agent N. Vethanayagan had expressed concern in the monthly District level meeting held August 14 regarding the urgent need to open the Oamanthai check point on all days of the week to facilitate easy flow of essential goods into Vanni.

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