SLA, police extort money from passengers to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 02:34 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers and police personnel manning the bus terminal at Vavuniyaa demand money from the people travelling to Jaffna, who have to report for checking before travel, sources in Vavuniyaa said. The bus travel being the cheapest, people choose it rather than ship or flight which are run by agencies of prominent persons of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). The demand for bribe from passengers at Vavuniyaa appears to be a ploy to divert them to travel by ship or planes, the sources further said.

More than 4,000 people are waiting in Vavuniyaa to travel to Jaffna as the number of buses available is not enough.

SLA soldiers and police at the Vavuniyaa bus terminal allow the passengers to board buses only after fleecing money from them ranging between 4,000 and 5,000 rupees.