SLA’s flip-flop puts NECORD project in jeopardy

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 October 2003, 16:30 GMT]
The northern command of the Sri Lanka Army Monday officially informed the Jaffna Government Agent that it would allow the deepening of only those fisheries landing points in the peninsula that are located outside the high security zones, thus denying permission for work on the project on the Vadamaradchi north coast, district secretariat sources said.

Only last week, SLA officials assured at a conference at the headquarters of the SLA’s 52-4 Brigade in Point Pedro, in the presence of monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, that they would allow the deepening of fisheries landing points on the Vadamarachchi north coast from Kerudavil to Thumpalai east.

The SLA called that conference following protests by the Vadamaradchi north fisheries societies, who defied the ban on the project imposed by the SLA and started to work on the project. The North East Community Organization for Restoration and Development (NECORD) allocated 2.5 million rupees for the project, sources said.

But no action was taken to allow the project, and the SLA’s official decision again puts the project in jeopardy, according to Vadamarachchi fisheries societies officials.

The northern command of the SLA has informed its latest position to the Government Agent when he informed the SLA officials of their failure to implement the assurance to the fisheries societies representatives, sources said.

The SLA’s northern command said Monday it has informed its latest position to the Commanding Officer of the 52-4 Brigade located at the Point Pedro high security zone, district secretariat sources said.