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Omanthai barriers removed; open ride to North
View(s):The road barriers at the security checkpoint at Omanthai in Vavuniya were removed yesterday, bringing to an end the two-decade process of registering vehicles entering the north, officials said. Military Spokesperson Jayanath Jayaweera told the Sunday Times that they had stopped the process of registering vehicles entering the North.
No barriers now on road to peace: In a symbolic move to show that the road to lasting peace is now wide open, the last security checkpoint barrier at Omanthai on the A9 highway to the north was removed yesterday. The barrier was set up in 2001 to check and register all vehicles going to and returning from the north. Pic by Priyantha Hewage
He said steps had, however, been taken by the military to upgrade existing security measures, considering the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the country. “Since normalcy returned there is no requirement for regular checking at Omanthai. There is no restriction on the movement of people. With the train service to the North also operating now, the people can move freely,” Brigadier Jayaweera said.
Vauniya District Secretary Bandula Harishchandra said he was informed by the regional police office yesterday that the road block adjacent to the checkpoint on the A9 road had been removed. Earlier all vehicles were diverted from the A9 main road to a sub lane for registering and inspection of cargo but without regular inspection of passengers.
The removal of the road barriers enables the vehicles to travel straight without any diversion off the main road.