Number of civilians fleeing war to Jaffna drops sharply

[TamilNet, Thursday, 09 April 2009, 16:26 GMT]
Despite announcement made by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) over loudspeakers in the last few days calling people in Liberation Tigers held area in Vanni to cross over the no man’s land into Jaffna district, only around ten persons had come to Jaffna Tuesday and Wednesday, Jaffna Secretariat sources said. News of civilians in the SLA detention centres in Jaffna district being forcibly taken away to the SLA Special Rehabilitation camp in Thellippa’lai and the restriction to which the inmates are subjected to appear to have discouraged anyone willfully leaving Liberation Tigers held area in Vanni, civil society sources in Jaffna said.

Compared to the number of civilians fleeing war in Vanni by sea and land in the first phase, the number of persons seeking safety in Jaffna is very low at present, Jaffna Secretariat sources said.

The initial arrivals of the civilians which numbered in thousands have gradually dwindled to less than ten in the last two days, they added.