Highway Opens Between Sri Lankan Govt, Rebel-Held Areas

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, April 09, 2002

Highway Opens Between Sri Lankan Govt, Rebel-Held Areas

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A significant step on the road to peace in Sri Lanka is taken Tuesday with the re-opening of the Kilinochchi-Muhamalai section of the A-9 main highway between the government and Tamil Tiger rebel held areas, allowing for free land access between the mainland and the Jaffna peninsula.

Chief of the Sri Lanka cease-fire monitoring mission Trend Furohovde officially opened the road from the rebel's side in the presence of two high ranking rebel cadres Banu and Deepan while Sisira Wijesruiya lifted the road barrier on the government side.

The event was witnessed by over 30,000 civilians and several journalists from all over the world present for the historic eventand to cover a later press conference called Wednesday by Tiger rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

In the middle of no man's land, the army officers and the rebel cadres met and shook hands to discuss permission for the free movement of people from one side to the other. There after a massive crowd of people from the rebel side led by 15 rebel cadrescrossed the road to be greeted by their countrymen on the government side.

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