Special Task Force troops have been deployed in Thunnalai again since Sunday, recreating a tense situation in the Vadamaradchi area.
STF motorcycle teams patrolled Thunnalai and surrounding villages throughout Sunday and Monday as well as carrying out checking activities on the streets.
In a previous operation in early August, over 40 Tamil youths were arrested in search and round-up operations and dozens of motorcycles and other vehicles seized.
"We had breathed a sigh of relief when the troops and police withdrew after the last round of searches, but now they are back again to scare us," a Thunnalai resident said.
Locals had likened the previous deployment to life under war-time military patrols and curfew. Thunnalai residents whose family members had been arrested also filed a complaint about the manner in which the operation was conducted with the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission.
No arrests or round-ups have been reported in the latest deployment.
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