SLA stipulates travel restriction

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 November 1998, 09:09 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) has stipulated that civilians living in the villages of Thambagamam and Kaluthaavalali in the Palai region of Jaffna can enter the areas under the army's control, including the Palai town, only three times a week from yesterday, October 31. Outsiders have been completely prohibited from entering the general area in which the two villages lie.

About six hundred families live in both villages, that lie outside the SLA's defence perimeter in Palai which is the town closest to the Iykkachchi - Elephant Pass base complex in the Jaffna peninsula.

The army has also placed severe restrictions on the amount of food supplies that people from Kaluthaavalai and Thambagamam can take with them from Palai.

Sources said that the new restrictions may have to do with recent reports about the presence of some units of Liberation Tigers in the area.

They also claimed that the SLA is bringing more troops to the Vadamaradchi division to beef up the region's security.

Soldiers arrived in more than twelve lorries on Friday and yesterday, according to them.

Search operations and on the spot checks have increased recently they said.

Meanwhile, informed sources in Vadamaradchi east denied reports in a section of the international media that the army had conducted a search operation in Nagar Kovil and Kudarappu on Friday, October 30.