H.E. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has today, directed relevant government authorities spearheaded by the Commissioner General of Essential Services (CGES) to make immediate arrangements to transport a large consignment of essential supplies to the Jaffna peninsula by road, using the A9 highway. The Muhamalai entry/exit checkpoint will be re-opened to facilitate this transport, as a one time measure. The President took this decision on humanitarian grounds, having considered representations made by religious leaders and the community and having reviewed the situation, in particular, in the context of inclement weather which is likely to continue for some weeks. The decision was also made in order to ensure that a satisfactory buffer stock of food and other essential items is maintained under the supervision of the government agent/district secretary in Jaffna .

The government will request independent organizations to facilitate the movement of the convoy of supplies through the checkpoints at Omanthai and Muhamalai. All relevant parties will be requested to ensure safe passage of these lorries carrying humanitarian supplies. The lorries will be sealed after goods are loaded and the seals will be opened once they reach Jaffna in the presence of representatives from religious and civilian organisations and government authorities.

The government will continue to supply essential goods to the peninsula, by using the sea route as it has done for the past three months, despite attacks by the LTTE on ships carrying supplies and passengers and threats by the LTTE to private traders in the peninsula to prevent the distribution of supplies to the people.

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 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 on a regular basis 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 have been of paramount concern to the government since it was forced to temporarily close the entry/exit checkpoint at Muhamalai.

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 WFP 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 has 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 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.

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.