Thousands of Vanni civilians held in Oamanthai, Ki’linochchi district

[TamilNet, Sunday, 26 April 2009, 11:30 GMT]
Thousands of families from Vanni are being held in Ka’ndaava’lai and Ki’linochchi areas, Jaffna Secretariat officials taken to these areas by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) said. The officials who went there to collect details of the civilians from Vanni further said that no decision has yet been taken as to where these civilians will be sent to. Meanwhile, more than 75,000 civilians from Vanni on the way to Vavuniyaa are held back around Oamanthai SLA entry point to Vavuniyaa, NGO sources in Vavuniyaa said.

Only elders and a selected few of these civilians have been allowed in by the SLA while young men and women among them are held back for interrogation and screening, the sources added.

Vavuniyaa Government Agent has not disclosed the particulars of the number of civilians held in Oamanthai area but the NGOs in the area say that more than 75,000 civilians are being held back by SLA.

As government authorities have not provided food for the civilians who had reached Vavuniyaa they are being fed with the food parcels given by the public and NGOs, the sources said.

Nothing is known about the civilians from Vanni waiting under trees and along the road in Oamanthai area, the sources added.