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Situation report – 11 February 2007

The Uyilankulan border checkpoint between Vavuniya and Mannar has been kept closed by the GoSL for one week, inconveniencing travelers, separating families, and halting the transport of essential items.

Starting from today, the Omanthai border checkpoint between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi has also been closed by the GoSL. Most essential items to the Vanni region are taken through this checkpoint.

Today, 11 February will be exactly six months since the A9 route leading to Jaffna was closed by the GoSL creating a humanitarian catastrophe in Jaffna.

With access to Jaffna hospital denied as a result of the closure of Muhamalai border checkpoint, most patients needing advance treatment are sent to Vavuniya hospital. The close of the Omanthai checkpoint is therefore like closing the only hospital providing advanced treatment to the 400,000 residents in Vanni.

Attack on Mullaithivu fishermen continues

On 10 February the fishermen from Mullaithivu set to sea at 12.00noon, later than the usual early morning time, because the sea was rough. When the fishermen came under attack from the Sri Lankan Navy, the fishermen cut off their nets from their boats and rushed to the shore to safe their lives.

Forcing the fishermen to leave their nets in the sea in this manner is a huge loss to the fishermen as the nets cannot be recovered. The cost of a net varies from Rs20,000 to Rs100,000. Each boat will usually carry 4 to 5 nets to make it profitable given the costsof fuel to go to sea.

Jaffna- shortage of prison space to protect civilians under threat to their lives-

four abducted in 24 hours

It has become a common practice in Jaffna for the people who are under threat to their lives to seek security in prison. People seek protection at the Human Rights Commission and then they are produced before the courts and the courts places them in prison for their own safety.

Over the last two days three more people have sought protection in this fashion bringing the number protected in this manner inside prison to nearly 50. The human rights commissioners in Jaffna are lamenting the lack space in prison to protect the civilians whose lives are under threat. The commissioners have requested a special centre to give refuge to these civilians.

Instead, the Sri Lankan military recently announced that it wants to shift the people from the prison to their militarized zones. Many have said that this is akin to putting a goat in the crocodile’s mouth.

Four more civilians were abducted from their homes over 24 hours, ending yesterday night, in Jaffna.

Tamils people subjected to cordon, search & arrest

Throughout the island Tamils are being subjected to unannounced cordon, search and arrest operations by the Sri Lankan military. Yesterday, the island of Karainagar in Jaffna was subjected to it from 9.00am till 11.00am, stopping all travelers.

The village of Navaly in Jaffna was subjected to cordon, search and arrest operations all day yesterday that lasted into the night.

Vavuniya Meber of Parliament Sivasakthi Anandan said that there is an unannounced curfew in Vavuniya and shops are closed by 5.00pm and people are too fearful to venture out after dark.

11 February 2007

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