The Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) was compelled to temporarily close the A9 highway, entry/exit checkpoint at Muhamalai situated at the isthmus of the Jaffna peninsula on 11 August 2006. The closure was necessitated due to the massive artillery and mortar attack launched by the LTTE on the government forces on the day which destroyed the entire infrastructure built by the GOSL at Muhamalai to facilitate the movement of people and goods. The LTTE has continued with almost daily attacks since then causing death and injury. The GOSL is unable to open the checkpoint until the area is safe for the movement of civilians and supplies and until it can be assured that national security will not be compromised.

The humanitarian considerations in relation to the people in the Jaffna peninsula are of paramount concern to the government.

In this context the government has taken a number of initiatives since 11 August 2006 to address humanitarian concerns of the Jaffna peninsula. The government has taken full responsibility to supply the needs of the people and has used the sea route to ensure that adequate supplies of food and other essential items are sent and that the people are also able to move to other parts of the country. Since the 11 August 2006, 30,859 metric tons of supplies have been moved to Jaffna using the sea route.

The task of the government has been made onerous by the refusal of the LTTE to guarantee the safety of supply and passenger vessels. On the request of the GOSL, both the ICRC and the UN have offered to ferry these supplies if the LTTE, were to assure their safety. The LTTE continues to refuse to provide this basic humanitarian assurance, instead, insisting that Muhamalai be reopened. In the past LTTE suicide boats have attacked and sunk supply ships and have attacked passenger vessels. On 9 November a passenger vessel was attacked by suicide boats. The LTTE threatened private traders, preventing them from distributing goods brought in by the government and thereby preventing the distribution of goods in the peninsula.

The GOSL in yet another effort to overcome this impasse and alleviate the hardships of the Jaffna people has offered an alternative to opening Muhamalai and has expressed its willingness to open the ferry link from Pooneryn to Jaffna purely for the movement of people. ( this route is not viable to move supplies). The GOSL has stated that students will not be allowed to use this alternative route, to ensure that young persons in Jaffna will not be forcibly inducted for military training by the LTTE, as is the norm. The LTTE has rejected this proposal. The jetty although damaged in 2001 before the CFA has been used by ferries plying from Pooneryn.

The A9 highway is the main thoroughfare that links the Jaffna peninsula with the South of Sri Lanka. The highway starts from Jaffna and passes through the LTTE dominated Wanni through to Kandy the hill capital of the country. The A9 highway was closed from 1995 to 2002. At the time, two entry/exit points that regulated movement into the uncleared areas of the Wanni were established. One was the gateway to the government controlled Jaffna peninsula at Muhamalai in the north and the other at Omanthai 98 km away, was the entry point into Wanni from the south.

The A9 has remained opened since 2002 and contrary to the misconception propagated by the LTTE, the only part of the highway that is temporarily closed since 11 August 2006 is the entry/exit checkpoint at Muhamalai.. The Omanthai checkpoint has remained open and facilitates the movement of goods and people to and from the LTTE dominated areas to the south.

It is significant to note that the LTTE has voiced no complaints in the years the A9 was closed by them. Neither have they raised any complaints in relation to any restriction of movement or shortages of supplies in areas such as Mullativu and Killinochi.

At the resumed talks with the GOSL in Geneva, the government explained that the A9 was open at the Omanthai check point, enabling supplies to move freely into Killinochi and Mullativu.The GOSL emphasized that it was only the entry/exit point at Muhamalai in the Jaffna peninsula that was temporarily closed following the massive attack by the LTTE on GOSL positions on 11 August 2006 which had completely destroyed the infrastructure that had been constructed by the GOSL to facilitate the movement of people and supplies through this check point. Since then the government had moved essential supplies by ship and air and also deployed vessels to facilitate civilian movements to and from the Jaffna peninsula. The government reiterated that Muhamalai could not be opened immediately due to concerns for the safety of civilians using the entry/exit point and in the interests of national security; the necessity for this approach was even more evident in light of LTTE artillery and mortar attacks in this area even as the talks proceeded. (these have continued since then).

The GOSL emphasized that the closure of the entry/exit point at Muhamalai was a temporary measure and that the government had every intention of opening it. However good faith must be demonstrated by the LTTE by refraining from launching attacks in the area and undertaking offensive actions.

The GOSL urged the LTTE to cooperate in the short term in order to provide essential supplies to Jaffna by providing security guarantees to ships. The government was facing difficulties in hiring private vessels for this purpose as the safety of ships could not be ensured due to the threat of LTTE attacks. Both the ICRC and the WFP had responded to requests by the GOSL and confirmed they would be willing to provide ships if the LTTE gave the necessary security guarantees. The LTTE continued to refuse to give such assurances.

The government clearly stated that it was willing to place the opening of the A9 at Muhamalai as a priority item on the agenda at the next round of talks. This it was felt would also allow for time to test the bona fides of the LTTE assurance that it would adhere 100% to the CFA. It would also give the opportunity to engage in strengthening the confidence building process started at these talks further. The government intended to re-open Muhamalai and make the A9 a modern highway which will link Jaffna to the south of the country and facilitate development and ensure a better life for the people of the area. It is of paramount importance that the illegal activities resorted to by the LTTE along the highway such as the collection of illegal levies, extortion and the recruitment of children for military training come to an end.

It is unfortunate that the LTTE focused solely on the re-opening of the A9 highway to the exclusion of alternate options to address the humanitarian needs of Jaffna and with total disregard to the urgent needs of the Jaffna people. The duplicity of the LTTE is evident in this illogical stance and also in light of the fact that they are continuing almost daily attacks on the Muhamalai exit/entry point.

It is common knowledge that the LTTE has a number of reasons for wanting the Muhamalai entry/exit point opened. Chief among them are: the infiltration of LTTE cadres and weapons into the Jaffna peninsula, forced recruitment of youth from Jaffna to the LTTE and the forced military training of these young people in the Wanni. The LTTE were also able to impose heavy levies on goods that were transported through Muhamalai into the Jaffna peninsula. The closure of the checkpoint has considerably reduced a Rs 20 to 30 million daily income for the LTTE gained through the imposition of illegal levies through out the A9 from Omanthai to Muhamalai.

The LTTE might wish to consider these issues carefully when directing its propaganda barrage based on the reopening of the A9 at Muhamalai.