Thenmaradchi residents demand SLA vacate their houses

[TamilNet, Monday, 15 April 2002, 22:03 GMT]
Hundreds of residents of Thenmaradchi area in Jaffna district demonstrated Monday morning, demanding the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) to vacate all houses they use as camps and checkpoints in the area. Several people who returned to their own villages to resettle following the cease-fire have found their houses are still being occupied by the SLA.

The protestors marched from Iyakadai junction on the Jaffna -Kandy road to the headquarters of the 52-2 brigade of the SLA. Tamil National Alliance parliamentarian for Jaffna, Mr.N.Raviraj also took part in the demonstration, sources said.

They carried placards in three languages and shouted slogans demanding the SLA to leave their houses enabling them to resettle in their own villages.

They handed over a memorandum to the Officer in Charge of the SLA brigade.

Residents in their memorandum to the SLA has given an ultimatum that they would launch a sit-in strike blocking the vehicular movement through the A9 highway if the SLA failed to vacate all civilians houses now they occupy in the Thenmaradchi area.

"For the last two years the Sri Lanka Army has been occupying several civilian homes at Madathady, Arasady and Manthuvil, north of Chavakachcheri town in Thenmaradchi area. Even now after, the signing of the ceasefire agreement, the SLA still occupies these houses blocking the resettlement of the displaced from these areas," said a resident who returned to his village.