Published on - 5/19/2005
LTTE men, paying scant regard to the concerns of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) for expansion of civil safety on the narrow causeway between the Forward Defence Line (FDL) of the Security Forces and that of the LTTE on the A-9 Road at Omanthai Entry/Exit point, have threatened to open fire against troops if they were to carry out de-mining as requested by the ICRC.
The narrow causeway of the A-9 Road in the no man's land between those two points is used daily by thousands of civilians and vehicles but its width hampers their smooth flow since both roadsides are infested with landmines.
As a result, the traffic flow up and down the north gets very much congested along this column as users are not supposed to enter out of wayside because of landmines that remain buried.
In order to facilitate quicker passage for civilians across this patch on the A-9 road, the ICRC has reportedly requested the Vavuniya Divisional Secretary (DS) to get the western side of the wayside widened by another 15 meters after de-mining a total area of 169.5 so that the pedestrians could exclusively use that newly-cleared column for passage without disrupting the main traffic.
Realizing the importance of the project, the DS for Vavuniya, in response to the request of the ICRC, after contacting the District Office for Humanitarian De-mining at Vavuniya and Security Forces Headquarters, Wanni made speedy arrangements to carry out a de-mining programme for this particular purpose after informing the LTTE of the planned move.
As planned, De-mining teams were to begin their work on Tuesday (10) but the LTTE for reasons best known only to them suddenly wanted all planned de-mining work be abruptly suspended. The LTTE has further threatened to fire at de-mining teams if they did not stop their work immediately. Strangely enough, this firing warning has also been conveyed by LTTE through an ICRC official who was there to begin the proposed de-mining work. However, the work was abandoned with no solution in sight.
Those LTTE threats, which go against their grandiloquent “our people†theory and so-called “sole representative of the Tamil community†concept, raise more questions than answers about their sincerity, commitment and more importantly, of their “honesty†towards peacemaking process.
