Villagers lay conditions to reopen Mavilaru sluice gates

[TamilNet, Thursday, 27 July 2006, 20:10 GMT]
Villagers of Liberation Tigers held Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division in Trincomalee district Thursday laid three conditions to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for re-opening the closed Mavilaru sluice gate. Tamil villagers said at a discussion with the SLMM monitors held at Pallikudiruppu in LTTE held Muttur east Thursday afternoon that they would allow the LTTE to reopen the sluice gates only after their conditions are met. Mr.S.Elilan LTTE Trincomalee district political head also participated, LTTE sources said.

The three demands placed by the villagers are:

• Drinking water facilities should be provided to villages in the Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division without delay.
• Economic embargo imposed on the transportation of food, building materials and other essential goods including agricultural implements urgently needed for the people of the Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division should be lifted immediately. Action should also be taken to provide relief and other assistance to about twenty thousand families internally displaced following three pronged attack by the State armed forces since April 25th, and
• Action should be taken to provide security to the people of the LTTE held Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division to travel to and from government controlled territory without any threat from army and paramilitary groups.

Several villagers including women were present at the discussion with placards stressing their demands and grievances.

They informed the SLMM members that currently villagers travelling from Muttur east and Eachchilampathu are harassed, intimidated, abducted and killed by State armed forces and the paramilitary cadres. SLMM should take immediate steps to provide safe passage to and from LTTE held Muttur east and Eachchilampathu to government controlled areas.

IDP families told the SLMM that for the last three months they are sheltered in temporary welfare centres and common buildings. They have been provided with only two weeks' dry ration relief for the last three months. The Government Agent of the Trincomalee district has ordered his officials not to distribute any relief to IDPs in Muttur east and Eachchilampathu division, sources said.

SLMM team promised that they would bring the three demands to the notice of the government authorities for their response.

While the discussion between the Eachchilampathu villagers and SLMM team was in progress, news about fresh aerial attacks in Mavilaru and Kathiraveli in Vaharai division on Thursday reached the participants of the discussion around 3.30 p.m., sources said.