Tamil residents in Mannar have voiced their concern as a Sri Lankan army checkpoint, previously removed several years ago, has been reinstated at the Mannar Main Bridge.
The checkpoint’s return comes after a period of unrestricted access through the Mannar bridge. Sri Lankan authorities claim that it returned after a shootout in the Athurugiriya area of Colombo, which resulted in two fatalities and several injuries.
Residents in Mannar were informed that intelligence officials had received information indicating that the main suspects involved in the shooting were heading to Mannar and attempting to escape to India via Thalaimannar.
The fact that Sri Lanka’s armed forces were stopping vehicles and indiscriminately inspecting them was cited as a cause for concern by local residents.
The Noth-East continues to be a heavily militarized with several army camps and checkpoints scattered throughout the homeland. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankan soldiers remain deployed across the Tamil North-East.
