Sri Lankan Major General Chandana Wijesundara has called on the people of Jaffna to support the army as they establish more checkpoints under the auspices of preventing drug trafficking.
The Sri Lankan military's occupation of the North-East has continued to expand, with the military increasingly encroaching on civil society and taking on roles such as agriculture and managing fisheries. This is often to the detriment of Tamils, who are barred from using land they formerly owned as military land grabs continue. Trust between Tamils and the military has been shattered due to a lack of accountability for war crimes which included the indiscriminate shelling of hospitals, food lines and the established no-fire zones.
The establishment of checkpoints comes as Jaffna Tamils prepare to commemorate Maaveerar Naal.