Sri Lanka Navy Commander visits Jaffna

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 September 2006, 06:01 GMT]
Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, visited Thursday Northern Naval Area Command in Karainagar and inspected the SLN installations Elara at Karainagar, Uttara in Kankesanthurai (KKS) and the key officers of the six shore establishements. The SLN commander also visted Mandaithivu's Allaipiddy area where around 40 civilians were reported killed or missing in Sri Lankan artillery fire 3 weeks ago when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) marines entered Mandaithivu. Food supplies to Jaffna islets would be transported by Sri Lanka Navy, the navy commander told a civilian audience.

The SLN Vice Admiral addressed civilians, traveling from the islets towards Jaffna in busses through Allaipiddy Junction Thursday evening.

The SLN was making arrangements to transport 4000 MT supplies in the Ruhunu cargo ship to Jaffna without ICRC facilitation, he further said.

Karannagoda told the civilians who complained there was no basic supplies in the islets that the SL Navy was prepared to transport food supplies in naval vessels to the people of Jaffna islets.

Security was tightened in the streets of Jaffna islets from Thursday morning till evening.

Sri Lanka Navy's Northern Naval Area, with 6 shore establishments, Elara, Uttara, Agbo, Kanchadewa, Welusumana and Gotaimbara, spans from Mullaithivu/Kilinochchi border in the northeast to Park Strait, a 64-137 km wide strait, that lies between India's Tamil Nadu state and the island of Sri Lanka.