SLA denies complicity to robberies in Jaffna peninsula

[TamilNet, Saturday, 21 March 2009, 09:32 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials rejected accusations of SLA soldiers’ involvement in or complicity to the increasing number of robberies in Jaffna peninsula, particularly when the night time SLA curfew is in force, in a meeting held Saturday in Jaffna Duraippah Stadium with the shop keepers in Jaffna Municipal Council area and representatives of Jaffna Traders’ Union, sources in Jaffna said. Extortion demands through phone calls too have escalated at an alarming rate, the attendees told the SLA officials.

SLA authorities in Jaffna had extended invitation to the above mentioned persons besides Divisional Secretariat officials and Village officers to the meeting.

It was pointed out in the meeting that as robberies take place particularly during curfew hours in Jaffna peninsula which is under absolute and complete control of the SLA it is hard to imagine robbers moving freely and easily without the complicity of the SLA soldiers to the robberies or they turning a blind eye to them.

SLA officials said that they totally reject this accusation and instructed the public to immediately ring to the phone numbers already given when such a robbery takes place.