SLA warns fishermen to avoid fishing in Poonakari area

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 April 2009, 10:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced over loudspeaker Saturday in Kurunakar that fishermen should not go fishing or step on the shores in Jaffna lagoon areas in Poonakari East, Kannaatheevu and Ariyaalai as these places are heavily infested with landmines placed by SLA. Fishermen failing to heed the warning will not be given the ‘pass’ (permit) for fishing, the SLA informed, sources in Jaffna said.

A fisherman who had gone fishing in the above areas on Thursday lost both his hands in a landmine explosion when he stepped on the shore while another fisherman lost his leg Friday in a similar landmine blast in the same area.

These two fishermen, however, had obtained the necessary SLA pass when they went fishing on Thursday and Friday, fisheries society sources in Kurunakar said.