Jaffna Report

Jaffna   Peninsula

9th June -   2008

GENERAL

Gang robbery has once again reared its head in the district.  During the night of the 1st June a Hindu priest in Kondavil was attacked with sword and attacked with clubs and robbed a big amount of money and jewels worth nearly a million and burnt a motorcycle on the house of another Hindu priest in Kondavil.

• Two houses in Sangarathai in Manipay area were burgled during the night of the 4th.  The gang of robbers had broke open the houses and while having robbed cash and valuable jewellery they had attacked and caused serious injuries to the inmates of the houses.
• Due to the direct confrontation of the LTTE with the Sri Lanka navy stationed in the Sirutheevu naval camp in the night of the 28th May fishermen are not allowed to go fishing in the lagoon. On account of the ban on fishing imposed in the Jaffna District more than 70,000 persons from 17,000 fishing families have been severely affected according to the President of the Jaffna District Fishermen Cooperative Societies Union.  He has further added that some families are unable to afford for at least a rice soup a day. Fishing in the Jaffna lagoon had been banned which have affected the fishing villages of Columbuthurai, Passaiyoor, Gurunagar, Navanthurai and Araly.  
• The Registrar General has banned the issue of certificates of birth and deaths and marriage registered in the districts of Jaffna , Vavuniya and Mannar district from the office of the Registrar General in Colombo as from the 26th May 2008.  From 1990 onwards thousands of families were displaced from these districts and living in other districts due to the ongoing war situation for more than two decades.  Due to this situation those displaced persons living in outer districts have to go to their own districts to get these certificates which is very difficult and cumbersome procedure burdened on the already affected and suffering people of the northern districts.
• A harrowing tale was told by a medical specialist regarding the suffering of the people of Mandativu.  On a periodic clinic visit to Mandativu the doctor had noted the legs of some pregnant mothers were swollen.  He had advised the mothers to drink 2 Lit of water so that there would not be any kidney disorders.  The medical specialist was shocked to hear that all the wells in the area except one were found to be with saline composition.  The practice of supplying drinking water by bowzers had been stopped about six months back as  the NGO which provided the funds for this purpose have stopped its funding.

FOOD, NON-FOOD ITEMS & RELATED ISSUES

• Prices of most of the essential food items have sky-rocketed and the consumers in the district are finding very difficult to make ends meet.

MPCS – Multi Purpose Cooperative Shop

DISPLACEMENT

• Displaced life of people in the areas of Mandaitivu, Allaipitty, Mirusuvil and Eluthumattuval are still continuing.

INJURIES, KILLING, SURRENDER AND DISAPPEARANCES

• Subramaniam Premaranjini (22) of Sarasalai North was reported being kidnapped on the 23rd May from her home by unknown persons who had come by a three wheeler.
• Sinnathamby Sinnacutty (71) of Kudamiyan in Varani was hacked to death in his sleep on the first of June
• Raja Vincent (32) of Cathedral Lane , Jaffna was shot dead by unknown armed men at about 11.30a.m. on the 2nd.
• Vinayagam Varseegan (24) of Iyankerny, Vannarponnai, Jaffna who was staying in Colombo who was released in April after three month incarceration had been reported kidnapped by armed men arriving in white van on 10.05.08 and  his whereabouts is not yet known. 
• S.Sathiyan (24) third year student of the Management Faculty of Jaffna University was admitted to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital on the 8th with serious injuries.

CURFEW HOURS:

• Curfew hours have been changed in the Jaffna peninsula since 7th June 2008.  Curfew has been imposed from 7 p.m. till 5.00 a.m.  the following day in the Jaffna district