A citizens committee says that the Army has vacated 10 public buildings as required by the ceasefire agreement, but is still occupying 27, including cooperative society buildings and the Immigration Department building in Talaimannar on Mannar Island.
Since the ceasefire, some Tamil refugees in government camps in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu are returning to Mannar by the hazardous sea route in small boats. A group of 17 returnees were stranded on a sandbar between Pamban and Mannar islands in early July. Kularatnam Sivakumar died of exposure on the sandbar.
As internally displaced people return to their homes in the Vanni, landmines and other explosive devices left behind by the warring factions continue to cause concern. Kanthan Arumugam, 75, was killed by an explosive device while clearing his land in early July, at Thiruvaiyaru in Kilinochchi District.
Since the opening of the A9 road the traffic between Vavuniya and Jaffna has increased. But problems continue to persist. Private Bus Owners Union president Gemunu Wijeratne says that the LTTE is demanding Rs 1,500 for each passenger travelling between Omanthai in Vavuniya and Muhamalai in Jaffna. The Union is willing to accept Tiger conditions, but the government has refused permits. Currently there is no direct bus service from the south to Jaffna. Travellers through the Vanni have no alternative but to use LTTE’s Tamil Eelam Transport buses.
The LTTE observed Black Tiger Day on 5 July in the north-east. They say that 17,637 cadre died in the 19-year war, and 241 of them were Black Tigers who perished in suicide attacks. Meetings and processions were held in the Vanni.