SLA blocks 2000 families fleeing Thenmaradchi

[TamilNet, Sunday, 13 August 2006, 11:11 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers, citing the Police curfew in force, blocked nearly two thousand families who were moving north towards safer Vadamaradchy from their houses in Thenmaradchi villages of Varani, Vatralai, Thaavalai, Idaikurichchi and Karambaikurichchi, civil sources in Jaffna said. The families were forced to stay in open terrain in Tharavai, Kapputhu areas bordering Vadamaradchi and Thenmaradchi without food and other basic needs. Water supply was also scarce in the area, according to members of 50 families who managed to escape SLA barrier and enter Vadamaradchi.


Artillery shells from Tiger positions continued to hit the 52-4 Brigade Head Quarters of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) located in Varani, civilian sources in Jaffna.

The camp is located on Point Pedro Kodikamam Road in Varani.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting was reported in the southern sectors of Thenmaradchi Saturday night.

A 40-year-old woman, Velautham Kili and her child were wounded and were rushed to Point Pedro hospital.

The electricity was cut off to Jaffna peninsula. Telephone land-lines to Jaffna district worked only intermittently. Mobile phone coverage remained cut off for the 3rd day Sunday.