Vadamaradchi faces isolation

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 01 December 1998, 11:00 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) stopped from yesterday the only passenger van service between Chempiyan Pattu on the southeastern coast of Jaffna and Pt.Pedro. This has cut off the only access the civilians in these area had with the outside world. The army stopped the passenger ('Thatti') van service from Chempiyan Pattu to Chavakachcheri last month.

Many villages on the southeastern coast of Jaffna are not under the control of the SLA.

The Liberation Tigers are active in the area. They observed Maaveerar day on November 27 in several villages in the area by lighting lamps in honour of the fallen colleagues.

The army goes on limited search operations into the areas quite frequently.

The Tigers, however, generally avoid confrontations with government troops on such operations.

Informed residents said that the army might have stopped the van service fearing infiltration by the LTTE into the main population centres of the region.

They lamented that people will have to cycle, walk or hitch rides on the very few vehicles that allowed in these parts.

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