The Jaffna government secretariat has announced that relief to internally displaced people will be reduced from 1 April. Some 35,000 families will be affected by the decision. There is consternation that relief is reduced while no action has been taken against six Grama Sevakas (village headman) who were involved in corruption in the provision of relief to refugees. Senior government officers are also implicated in a Rs 4.9 million ($57,000) corruption scandal. Meanwhile, the Jaffna hospital suffers from lack of equipment and shortage of over 30 types of medicines. In February, two deaths occurred in the hospital because of lack of equipment.
T Suhendran was arrested by the Army on 19 February while working in a shop at Anaikottai. Relatives say that the Army did not issue an arrest receipt. The Human Rights Commission has received complaints that Suthumalai bakery worker K Gajendran, 17, was taken to Manipai military camp in early February and brutally assaulted. Three youths who had obtained security force passes to travel to southern Sri Lanka were arrested when they went to the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority in Jaffna town to obtain travel tickets.
The security forces continued to launch offensive operations in Jaffna despite LTTE’s ceasefire. The Navy say that two Tiger boats carrying arms were sunk near Point Pedro harbour on 21 February. Earlier in the month, the Navy seized eight fishing boats and 34 National Identity Cards from fishermen.