SLA firing exercise disrupts fishing in Thondamanaru lagoon

[TamilNet, Sunday, 20 June 2004, 04:01 GMT]
Fishing in Thondamanaru lagoon in Vadamarachchi division in Jaffna district has come to a standstill for about a week following beginning of live firing exercise by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). Representatives of fisheries societies in the division told military officials at a conference held in SLA's 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters located in Point Pedro high security harbour area that they would launch an agitation campaign if the firing exercise in the lagoon area is not stopped, fishery sources said.

Fishery's representatives issued this warning in the presence of monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Jaffna, civil sources said.

Fisheries representatives allege that SLA and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) personnel conduct firing exercise deliberately targeting fishing boats in the sea.

Military firing exercise is taking place daily in the high security zone in the northern sea located in the east of the Palaly main military base which included " Akkarai" area in the Thondamanaru lagoon.

About 250 members of 120 fisher families have been losing daily income to run their day to day life as they are unable to go for fishing in the lagoon due to the continuous firing exercise by the military.

Representatives of the fisheries societies in the division Saturday met with military officials in the 52-4 SLA Brigade of the SLA and told their plight. They said the firing exercise has been preventing them fishing in the lagoon as their lives are endangered, sources said.