A key entry-exit point between the Tamil Tigers-held territory and the government territory in Sri Lanka's north was re-opened Friday after closing for twenty-four hours, defense officials said.
The Omanthai check point in the northern district of Vavuniya was shut for civilian movements after officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) withdrew on Thursday citing security fears.
"Following a meeting with the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) and the military, the ICRC received security guarantees to return to Omanthai," Davide Vignati, the ICRC spokesman said.
The ICRC has resumed its normal civilian and humanitarian operations after Thursday's withdrawal, officials added.
The Omanthai check point, located on the A9 highway linking the island country's south and north, is kept open under ICRC supervision five days of the week.
The highway remains shut at the government end in the northern Jaffna peninsula since heavy fighting broke out between the LTTE and government troops in August 2006.
Claiming discrimination at the hands of the Sinhala majority, the LTTE has been fighting the government since the mid-1980s to establish a separate homeland for the minority Tamils in the north and east.
More than 5,000 people have been killed in the new wave of violence sine the end of 2005, making the Norwegian brokered ceasefire agreement exist only on paper.
Source: Xinhua
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