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Parts of crucial highway to be reopened on Friday
A national highway connecting southern Sri Lanka with the LTTE-held northern Vanni region will reopen for traffic on Friday after years of many bitter battles for its control, officials said.
A national highway connecting southern Sri Lanka with the LTTE-held northern Vanni region will reopen for traffic on Friday after years of many bitter battles for its control, officials said.
The A-9 highway that runs from the central hill town of Kandy with Jaffna town in the north will be open again for civilian traffic between Vavuniya and Kilinochchi, which is under LTTE control.
Vavuniya district officials said the administration was ready for the reopening, as the army and the LTTE had removed all landmines buried on the highway over the years.
The army worked on the stretch close to Omantai, 17 km north of Vavuniya, while the LTTE de-mined the stretch under its control, but the Jaffna peninsula will continue to be inaccessible by road, as vehicles cannot go beyond Kilinochchi.
The highway was closed by the army on May 13, 1997, and traffic into the Vanni was allowed only through Uyilankulam, which leads to Mannar in north-western Sri Lanka. This, officials said, involved a 112-km detour, but even this path was closed in mid-1999. After the army captured Omantai and Mankulam, it tried to reopen the highway for a few days, but was forced to close it again after the rebels took control over parts of it in their operation unceasing waves-IIIF in November 1999.
Vehicles since than have had to take a 145-km detour through Piramanaalankulam, the only crossing point that has been operational in recent times. This will be formally closed down after the A-9 is reopened.
Bureau Report
Vavuniya district officials said the administration was ready for the reopening, as the army and the LTTE had removed all landmines buried on the highway over the years.
The army worked on the stretch close to Omantai, 17 km north of Vavuniya, while the LTTE de-mined the stretch under its control, but the Jaffna peninsula will continue to be inaccessible by road, as vehicles cannot go beyond Kilinochchi.
The highway was closed by the army on May 13, 1997, and traffic into the Vanni was allowed only through Uyilankulam, which leads to Mannar in north-western Sri Lanka. This, officials said, involved a 112-km detour, but even this path was closed in mid-1999. After the army captured Omantai and Mankulam, it tried to reopen the highway for a few days, but was forced to close it again after the rebels took control over parts of it in their operation unceasing waves-IIIF in November 1999.
Vehicles since than have had to take a 145-km detour through Piramanaalankulam, the only crossing point that has been operational in recent times. This will be formally closed down after the A-9 is reopened.
Bureau Report