STF restrictions to hit trade

[TamilNet, Monday, 11 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Special Task Force (STF), of the Sri Lankan Police warned people in the Eastern Batticaloa district, that those who contribute money and render other assistance to the Liberation Tigers would be arrested and severely punished, as the Sri Lankan Government has proscribed the LTTE.

The announcement was made over Public Address System yesterday morning around 10 a.m., in the villages controlled by the Sri Lankan forces, in the Batticaloa district.

It is prohibited to take money and goods to villages controlled by the Liberation Tigers, the STF announced.

The LTTE controls much of the Batticaloa district, including the vast hinterland beyond the Batticaloa lagoon, and the STF's restrictions are expected to dent trade with the region, said traders in Batticaloa.

Meanwhile, a Mannar Kachcheri official said that arrangements are being made to purchase paddy harvested in the LTTE controlled areas in the Vanni and to transport it to Mannar through Uyilankulam SLA check point on the Vavuniya-Mannar road.