News

At least 9,000 more persons registered with the Jaffna Government Agent to leave the peninsula as the first batch of stranded persons yesterday sailed out under the escort of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Jaffna GA K. Ganesh told The Sunday Times that he had requested the government to charter a larger vessel to transport passengers from Jaffna to Colombo as more were registering to leave the peninsula.

Mr. Ganesh said that among those registering were persons who had arrived on holiday from foreign countries, international and local NGO workers and some who needed urgent medical attention.

The A-9 highway has been closed since August 11 due to the ongoing fighting between the LTTE and the security forces.

The first batch of 161 including 20 foreigners attached to International NGOs left Jaffna yesterday and was due to arrive in Trincomalee last night to be transferred by road to Colombo today. The vessel is due to return to Point Pedro to transport more passengers stranded in Jaffna after the closure of the A-9 road as well as the suspension of commercial flights to the peninsula.

The move to transport more passengers by sea came as the government was considering importing more food items from South India to overcome shortages in the North.

Social Services Minister Douglas Devananda said he had appealed to the government to implement the proposal of importing essential food items from South India as it would be cheaper and faster than transporting them to Jaffna from Colombo. Cement was being imported from South India currently in like manner at cheaper rates, he said.

“This will also help the people as they can avoid paying taxes to the LTTE at Puliyankulam”, Minister Devananda said.

Meanwhile, the closure of the A9 highway for more than two weeks has had a serious financial impact on the LTTE, depriving it of an estimated Rs. 75 million in the form of ‘taxes’ imposed on cargo and passengers to the North.

At least 200 lorries carrying cargo are taxed by the LTTE daily at the Puliyankulam check point, while all private vehicles on hire also are taxed Rs. 5,000 each. Passengers carrying liquor are taxed separately.

For the first time in two weeks, 57 lorries carrying essential food items were allowed into the uncleared areas yesterday. However, these vehicles were not taxed by the LTTE. These food items were to be distributed through Co-operative Societies.

In a separate development, all International Non-governmental organizations (INGOs) operating in the Northern and Eastern Provinces were directed to register with the Defence Ministry amidst allegations that some INGO workers directly or indirectly were maintaining links with the LTTE.

Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) Executive Director Jeewan Thiyagaraja told The Sunday Times that already 539 applications had been submitted to the Defence Ministry out of which seven had been rejected.

Five INGO’s yesterday temporarily suspended their operations in Jaffna and were returning to Colombo.