Palaly () is a small town in the North
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n city of
Jaffna
Jaffna (, ; , ) is the capital city of the Northern Province, Sri Lanka, Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jaffna District located on a Jaffna Peninsula, peninsula of the same name. With a population o ...
. It has an important International airport and a military airbase known as Sri Lanka Air Force Palaly or SLAF Palaly. Both military and civilian aircraft land there. It is one of the main transport service connections
Jaffna Peninsula
The Jaffna Peninsula (, or ) is a region in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It is home to the capital city of the province, Jaffna, and comprises much of the former land mass of the medieval Jaffna Kingdom.
The peninsula was historically ...
with the rest of the country and India.
Palaly Military Base
Palaly is in a High Security Zone declared by the
Sri Lanka Armed Forces
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...
of an area of less than 25 square kilometers due to the
civil war
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. The former residents of the area have been evacuated; although it was initially claimed that this was due to security reasons subsequent research by a number of non governmental organisations has cast doubt on this claim.
Limited resettlement began in 2002 but was not completed. In 2013 the Government of Sri Lanka attempted to put their claim to this land on a legal footing by claiming that the land was needed for a "public purpose" and that the previous inhabitants of the land could not be found. 2176 previous inhabitants of the land came forward to challenge this ruling in court, the case is ongoing.
The
Palaly Military Base houses the
Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna and is in close proximity to the naval base; SLNS Uttara at
Kankasanturai
Kankesanthurai (, , lit. ''Port Kankesan''), colloquially known as KKS, is a port suburb, fishing division and resort hub of the Jaffna District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. Formerly an electoral district, Kankesanthurai is home to the Kankesant ...
and air base;
Jaffna Airport
Jaffna International Airport (; ) , formerly known as Palaly Airport and Jaffna Airport, is an international airport serving northern Sri Lanka. It was also a military airbase known as Sri Lanka Air Force Palaly or SLAF Palaly. The airport is loca ...
. There is also a
military hospital
A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...
in Palaly.
Palaly Air Base
SLAF Palaly served as the main lifeline in the Jaffna Peninsula, as there was no land supply route to the peninsula until 2009. Till then much of the essential food items, medicines for the civilians and the armed forces as well as ammunition were brought regularly via air to the SLAF Palaly.
Radio stations
*
SLBC REGIONAL SERVICES.
:* Palaly Sevaya (Sinhala) / YAL FM(Tamil)) 102.0 MHz
*
ITN, Sri Lanka
Independent Television Network Ltd (; ) also known as ITN Ltd or simply as ITN is a Sri Lankan state-governed television and radio broadcaster located in Wickramasinghepura, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. It is a Shrama Abhimani Award winner (Oct ...
TAMIL SERVICE.
:* VasanthamFM (Tamil) / VFM (Tamil) 97.0 MHz
Television stations
*
ITN, Sri Lanka
Independent Television Network Ltd (; ) also known as ITN Ltd or simply as ITN is a Sri Lankan state-governed television and radio broadcaster located in Wickramasinghepura, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka. It is a Shrama Abhimani Award winner (Oct ...
TAMIL CHANNEL.
:* VasanthamTV (Tamil) / VTV (Tamil) 25 UHF
References
Radio Stations in Sri Lanka
Towns in Jaffna District
Valikamam North DS Division
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