Key road A9 re-opens

	Passengers could travel through A9 without LTTE check points after 19 years

The main highway in Sri Lanka linking the northern Jaffna peninsula to the south has been opened to civilian traffic after years of conflict.

The road (the A9) came under government control this year during the final onslaught against Tamil Tiger rebels.

Before that it had been rebel-controlled for more than twenty years.

The highway was ceremonially opened to the public by Basil Rajapaksa, MP and Senior Advisor to the President, the government information department said.

It said 210 passengers were transported from Jaffna to Medawachchiya in five buses provided by the government.