SLA soldiers search Point Pedro SLTB depot

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 October 2008, 13:40 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna which has been engaged in intensive searches in most of the Saiva temples in Jaffna peninsula and their surroundings from Tuesday, extended the search to Point Pedro Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) Thursday, which lasted for nearly two and a half hours. No one was arrested or any objects were recovered during the search, employees of the depot said. The searches follow the attack on SLA soldiers Monday night at Maasiyappiddi in Valikaamam.

The search began at 11:00 a.m when all employees of Point Pedro SLTB depot were made to vacate the depot.

SLA soldiers searched the depot thoroughly for nearly two and a half hours while no one was allowed either to enter or leave Point Pedro town where the depot is located.

All traffic in the area was suspended and people had to wait along the roads until the search was completed.

Government and Corporation employees fear that the SLA searches will extend to their places of work in the coming days.

Meanwhile, SLA which usually blocks the main roads in the peninsula around 9:00 a.m. for its convoy of vehicles to transport troops and military hardware to the Front Defence Lines (FDL) areas in Thenmaraadchi and Vadamaraadchi, closed all the main roads at 7:00 a.m Thursday for its convoy of vehicles to pass.

All traffic along the main roads were stopped.

The public was not permitted to use the main roads until noon, and the move signals a likely major offensive at the Northern FDL areas, residents speculated.