Safe passage for Jaffna civilians

More than 300 Tamils will be transported to Jaffna

By Alastair Lawson in Colombo

The International Red Cross in Sri Lanka says that it has secured an agreement to enable the movement of civilians in the northern war zone.

It says the government and Tamil Tiger rebels have agreed to allow safe passage for a ship transporting civilians to and from the Jaffna peninsula.

A Red Cross spokeswoman said that she expected the ship to start operating by next week from the eastern port of Trincomalee.

Bi-weekly service

This is one of the few times in recent months that the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil Tigers have been able to reach an agreement.

The Red Cross spokeswoman, Carmen Burger, told the BBC that the deal to allow displaced civilians to return to Jaffna required intensive negotiations between both sides who were not prepared to talk to each other directly.

She said that under the terms of the deal brokered by the Red Cross, the ship is expected to carry around 350 Tamil passengers twice a week from Trincomalee to the Jaffna peninsula.

The boat service will be run by the Sri Lankan Commissioner General for Essential Services, but will fly the flag of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

An expatriate ICRC member of staff will be on board for each sailing.

Mrs Burger said that both the government and the Tamil Tigers have provided the ICRC with written assurances that they will not attack the boat.

Boats have sometimes been attacked

In June a Tamil Tiger suicide squad attacked and destroyed a cargo boat which the government said was providing essential supplies to civilians in the Jaffna Peninsula.

The rebels said the boat was in fact carrying military equipment.

They have said that other vessels which they suspect may be carrying arms or military personnel will also be targeted.

Last year, the Tigers blew up a passenger ferry in the port of Trincomalee and hijacked a ship carrying building materials to Jaffna.

In the latest fighting in the Jaffna Peninsula, the army says that 15 rebels have been killed since Wednesday morning.