Muttur residents protest against cement ban

[TamilNet, Thursday, 28 April 2005, 13:45 GMT]
A large number of Tamil civilians including men, women and children Thursday morning held a protest march from Ganeshapuram junction in the LTTE held Muttur east villages to the Sri Lanka Army held Kaddaiparichchan area in the Trincomalee district demanding that the ban imposed on the transportation of cement and other related building materials should be withdrawn immediately enabling the non-governmental organizations to continue the rebuilding of houses destroyed in tsunami disaster. The Muttur East Peoples' Union (MEPU) organized the protest, sources said.

Mr.Tyronne Fernando in his office in Governor Secretariat, Trincomalee.

Meanwhile Major General (Retd) Asoka Jayawardene, Defence Ministry Secretary Thursday is reported to have informed the North East Provincial Governor Mr.Tyronne Fernando that no such ban has been imposed on the transportation of cement and other related building materials to the Liberation Tigers controlled areas in the Trincomalee district, provincial council sources said.

At the conclusion of the protest representatives of the MEPU handed memoranda to the army, Divisional Secretary and the monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) demanding the withdrawal of the ban.

Major General Asoka Jayawardene denial came in response to the query by Mr.Tyronne Fernando following a speech by Mr.Puratchi, Trincomalee district head of the LTTE Students Front Wednesday at a cultural event held in Trincomalee in his presence.

Mr.Puratchi had said in his speech that the army stationed in Kaddaiparichchan check point is not allowing the transportation of cement and other building materials to LTTE held Muttur east bringing all rebuilding activities of the NGOs in the tsunami destroyed coastal villages in the Muttur east to a halt.