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Thousands flee Jaffna peninsula expecting war
About 3,500 families have fled from Jaffna, expecting an outbreak of hostilities between Govt and the rebels, reports PK Balachandran.
About 3,500 families have fled from Jaffna peninsula to the LTTE-controlled part of the Wanni towards the south, expecting an outbreak of hostilities between the Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE, sources in Jaffna said on Sunday.
The LTTE has been saying for sometime that the time has come for a "final push" to secure an independent Tamil Eelam by force because the Mahinda Rajapaksa government at Colombo and the international community, have turned a deaf ear to the Tamils' long-standing demands and taken a hostile posture.
The LTTE had earlier asked its supporters to leave the peninsula and come over to the Wanni. Many of these did leave Jaffna. In the second phase, people belonging to the Wanni left. In the current phase, even those belonging to Jaffna are leaving.
One of the subsidiaries of the LTTE's humanitarian arm, Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO), has already built 1,500 shelters for the refugees from Jaffna. The TRO is said to be preparing for another tsunami, this time a politico-military one.
Anticipating war, Tamils from the coastal areas of the North Western district of Mannar are also leaving. But they are heading towards Tamil Nadu by boat. Some landed in Danushkodi last week.
Move to close Jaffna University
The LTTE has indicated that it would like Jaffna University to be closed indefinitely in protest against the actions of the Sri Lankan state, the Tamil-paramilitaries and the Sri Lankan armed forces. A final decision on this is to be announced in Jaffna by the University Students' Union on Monday.
