SLA intensifies surveillance on ‘outsiders’ visiting Vanni

[TamilNet, Friday, 19 November 2010, 17:19 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) authorities in Vanni have instructed all schools and other such public institutions and organizations in their areas to inform them in advance if any political persons, representatives of volunteer organizations and Non-government Organizations (NGOs) from outside Vanni visiting their places. On such occasions SLA being informed beforehand sends its men to watch and record the proceedings of the meetings and events conducted or attended by the above ‘outsiders’, according to complaints made by some school heads in Vanni to a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian.

Schools and children of the resettled families who had met the representatives of various organizations visiting them are intensively watched by the SLA.

In some cases the children who had spoken openly about their poor conditions of life to the representatives and their families had been intimidated by SLA, according to the complaint.

Due to the SLA surveillance the resettled people in Vanni are afraid to speak or to express themselves freely, sources in Vanni said.