Jaffna SLA Commander to relax travel restrictions

[TamilNet, Sunday, 09 March 2008, 22:21 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander, Major. Gen. G. A. Chandrasiri, released a communique Sunday indicating he will take steps to relax restrictions faced by Jaffna residents when seeking SLA permission to leave the peninsula to attend urgent and important matters including medical treatment, civil society sources in Jaffna said. Jaffna residents said they were not optimistic of positive developments in this regard pointing to similar measures to ease travel restrictions previously announced by the Commander which still remain unfulfilled.

Maj. Gen. Chandrasiri also sought the co-operation of all parties concerned to set up People's Vigilant Committees in the rest of the peninsula similar to those established in Jaffna and Nalloor Regions under Jaffna Government Agent and Nalloor Regional Council Secretary in the communique.

Incidents of night time robberies and extortion in the areas above have been greatly reduced due to the efficient function of the Vigilant Committees, the communique said.