Batticaloa GA complains ceasefire violation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 17 March 2002, 21:43 GMT]
The Government Agent for Batticaloa, Mr. S.Shanmugam, told Scandinavian cease-fire Monitoring Mission Sunday that the Sri Lankan army is violating the terms of the agreement signed by Colombo and the Liberation Tigers in the eastern district. He said that the SLA is harassing civilians at Mylambaveli, 8 kilometres north of against the terms of the agreement and that it is still imposing undue restrictions on the supply of unregulated commodities.

He said that although the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) remains suspended under the cease-fire agreement, the SLA defies it by continuing to act in terms of the sweeping powers it formerly enjoyed under the draconian law.

Meanwhile, the commander of the Sri Lanka army's 23-3 Brigade, Col. V. R. L Anthoniz, Friday warned the Municipal Commissioner of Batticaloa town and the Government Agent that they should stop forthwith the construction of a memorial for a woman who fasted unto death to protest against the atrocities committed by the Indian Army in the northeast in 1988.

The memorial is being constructed in Navalady, a coastal suburb of Batticaloa town, where the mother of four, Annai Poopathy, was buried. Sources said that the Batticaloa GA pointed out to Col. Anthoniz that it is the responsibility of the cease-fire monitoring committee to determine whether the memorial violates the agreement or not.

The Divisional Secretary for Manmunai North Mr. K. Kathirkamanthan was also invited by Col. Anthoniz for the meeting Friday at the 23-3 HQ in Batticaloa town.

Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham told TamilNet that the SLA's 23-3 Brigade commander had absolutely no legal right under the cease-fire agreement to stop the construction of the memorial.

"Many elements in the army are hell bent on destroying the cease-fire under the such pretexts and by using agent provocateurs to deliberately destroy the communal amity between the Muslims and the Tamils in the east, But we are committed to our people's unity," Mr. Joseph added.