Fishmongers apprehensive over SLA order

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan military has ordered fishmongers at the Sithandy market to move their stalls opposite the Morakkottanchenai SLA camp. The order was issued by a Tamil informant for the SLA who wields some influence in the area.

The traders at Sithandy market however are unhappy about this due to their earlier unpleasant experience under similar circumstances in 1990.

The market was moved to Morokkottanchenai from Sithandy then too, but the fishmongers found that they had to regularly 'donate' some of their fish to the army camp.

Unable to bear the cost of the extortion they moved back to the Sithandy market after only a week.

Further south, in areas like Kurumanveli and Mandoor fishermen still have to give part of their catch to the local STF camp.

Similar cases have been reported from the islands off the Jaffna peninsula as well.