SLA,Vadamarachchi fishermen to meet with SLMM help

[TamilNet, Thursday, 31 July 2003, 01:05 GMT]
The Sea Monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in the Jaffna district have arranged a meeting between the representatives of the fisheries co-operative societies in Vadamarachchi and Sri Lanka Army officials, and the discussion will be held on August 3, Sunday, at the 524 SLA brigade headquarters located in the Point Pedro town, SLMM sources said.

The SLMM monitors will be present during the discussions to sort out problems affecting the fishing families in the area, sources said. The SLMM has invited the Commanding Officer of the 524 Brigade, Lt. Col. Talgagola, to be present on that occasion, sources said.

The SLMM said it has made this attempt to bring normalcy in the lives of fishing families in the area.

The meeting has been planned as a result of the representation made by the fisheries cooperative societies, sources said. The Vadamarachchi north fisheries co-operative societies federation, in a memorandum handed over to the SLMM monitors in Jaffna, had listed their grievances and suffering at the hands of the Sri Lankan security forces.

The memorandum included several criticisms against the Sri Lankan troops, such as, imposing a ban on fishing in sea close to the Katkovalam and Thumpalai villages, collecting unnecessary information about the fishermen, and imposing the condition to beach their crafts in the shore, sources said.

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