Cries from the Palmyra grove

Restless nights – burglary

(July 29, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) Gang burglary of several houses in an area in the same night has again started in the Jaffna Peninsula. It has to be repeated that such gangsterism involving several hours and 20-30 members going about in vehicles takes place under cover of a curfew proclaimed and 'strictly enforced' by the state security personnel and in an area fully covered and closely interspersed with security men and check points. The houses are broken into if the inmates do not open them at the first demand. They are often put into one room and the whole house is ransacked. If sufficient booty is not found a child or another inmate is held to ransom at the point of a gun or a sharp weapon and the parents are ordered to bring out their jewels, cash and other valuables. Many victims have been assaulted and even injured during the plundering.

There are security personnel seen everywhere but no security is really provided to the citizens here. We do think that we would be much safer without the presence of these security personnel!

Imprisonment ?

The people in the Jaffna Peninsula are forced to live as if in an open prison. They are not free to travel about as they want even to fulfil family and social obligations.

Even within the peninsula, they are constricted on many fronts obstructing free travel. Due to the movement of the security forces during day time along main and trunk roads, the public are ordered often for about an hour or more to stay off those roads or even at their crossings with other roads. Checkpoints are numerous and much time is wasted at each of them. Night travel is banned from August 11th 2006 Some roads are permanently closed and reserved exclusively for the forces.

Travelling outside the Jaffna Peninsula is almost beyond the possibility of the average citizen. A 'pass' has to be obtained but it involves days and expenses of going to several offices and security camps, obtaining about a total of 20 photocopies of various documents, all of which drag on for several weeks. Earlier those over 55 were exempt from a big part of the formalities. But now even the most senior citizens have to go through the entire procedure as the others.

SAARC

Normally an international conference, especially of heads of governments, is a time of expectation and enjoyment for the citizens of the host country. But in Sri Lanka, many citizens are deprived of their normal nights and various freedoms. Roads are closed, whole areas are declared top security areas and even the residents of those areas have to obtain passes. There appears to be an overflow of these in our Jaffna Peninsula too.
Passes to travel South are issued very very sparingly.

Curtailment of communication

Telecommunication is further curtailed. Except for the land lines which are not common, no means of telecommunication is available to the average citizen. 'Coverage' is cut off and no calls are possible. This is going on for weeks and months at a stretch. Isn't this another example of the denial of the due rights of a people?
- Sri Lanka Guardian