The Sri Lankan government reopened the Palaly-Achchuveli road in Jaffna yesterday after 34 years but the peninsula and the rest of the North-East remains occupied by the Sri Lankan military.
In a press release, the president's media division stated that the road was reopened after residents "had long called for the road’s reopening to facilitate greater mobility and regional development."
Whilst the military have opened up the Palaly-Achchuveli road, Tamil residents have reportedly been denied access to visit the roadside temples. Other roads in Jaffna also remain closed by the Sri Lankan military. Tamil residents have demanded that these roads that still under the military controlled areas are also opened.
15 years have passed since the armed conflict ended but the North-East remains heavily militarised. The military continue to occupy vast swathes of land and are heavily involved in civilian activities, such as running restaurants, hotels, farms and distrubting school supplies to children,
The Sri Lankan military's intrusion into civilian life is an attempt to normalise their presence in the North-East.
