2nd Lead (Adds photos)

Hartal paralyzes NorthEast

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 11:06 GMT]
Normal life in the northeast province was disrupted Friday following the one-day general shut down condemning the failure by the Sri Lanka Government to withdraw troops from Trincomalee town in large numbers. More than fifteen hundred troops are deployed in the east port town following the controversy over the erection of a Buddha statue in a land located close to the central bus stand.

Trincomalee scene

Closed shops in Trincomalee

Reports from the districts of Jaffna, Mannar, Vavuniya, Trincomalee and Batticaloa state that offices of the central government, provincial council, and branches of state and private sector banks were closed down. Schools did not function.

Public markets did not function. Transport services came to a standstill. Jaffna-Kandy A9 high way was closed for traffic. Business establishments except Sinhalese shops in some towns were closed, sources said.

There were also reported incidents of grenade explosion and injuries in Trincomalee.

All roads were blocked in Killinochchi and traffic on A9 road to Jaffna was completely blocked by protestors who burnt tires at several places. All shops remained closed.

Parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), members of the Trincomalee District Tamil Peoples' Forum (TDTPF) and other Tamil groups Thursday at a meeting held in Trincomalee decided to hold one-day general shut down Friday through out the North-East condemning the government's failure to keep its promise by withdrawing government troops by Thursday evening, sources said

Road blocks in Jaffna

Another scene in Jaffna

Kilinochchi: Protesters burning tyres

Shops remained closed in Kilinochchi

Tyres burning across A9

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