News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 19 January 1999, 12:39 GMT]
Search operation in Pt.Pedro, the Pt.Pedro jetty SLA camp relocated; a house built of bamboo washed ashore in Jaffna and Jaffna displaced get spoilt milk powder.

Search operation in Pt. Pedro

The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) cordoned off and searched Katkovalam east in Pt.Pedro yesterday from 8 a.m. in the morning.

Sources in the area said that 10 persons were arrested and taken to the Pt.Pedro army camp. They were not released until last evening.

Meanwhile, Aarumugam Kanakaratnam,39, who was arrested by the SLA on January 14 from his home in Valvettithurai in Jaffna is yet to be released said his relatives today.

Kanakaratnam is being detained at the SLA camp at Aathikoiladi in Valvettithurai.

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Passenger service cancelled

The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) stopped the passenger van service between Pt.Pedro town and the villages of Vadamaradchi east in Jaffna yesterday.

The van was turned back at the Vallipuram point south of the town. Passengers had to walk from here to their villages.

Residents speculated that the move might be connected to the relocation of the SLA camp at the Pt.Pedro jetty to Pallappai, seven kilometres southeast of Pt.Pedro which is near the road to Vallipuram from the town.

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Displaced received spoilt milk

The government social services department in Jaffna has again issued spoilt milk powder to more than 1800 displaced families living in various parts of the Vadamaradchi division of the peninsula, said sources.

This has happened despite the strong objections of welfare groups in the area who protested last month against the issue of spoilt milk powder to displaced families in the region, they added.

Meanwhile, the government has made arrangements to distribute school text books among school children in the Jaffna peninsula tomorrow.

The stock of school text books have been sent to KKS port on the ship the Lanka Mudhitha last week, a spokesman to the Ministry of Education and Higher Education said.

He added that the distribution of free school uniform for the students in Jaffna schools will take place in May this year.

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Mysterious things wash ashore

A house built of bamboo washed ashore at Uduththurai, Southeast of Jaffna, last evening said sources in the area.

The two bedroom house had pots, pans and fishing gear in it.

The SLA came to the spot upon hearing about the matter and has not allowed anyone to go near place, said sources.

Last week a small chariot also made of bamboo had also washed ashore in the same area they said.

The house could have drifted from Burma said an SLA officer in the area.