Civilian flights from Sri Lankan capital Colombo to the northern city of Jaffna resumed on Monday after a 3-week lay off due to heavy fighting between the Tamil Tiger rebels and the government troops.

A private airliner departed the Ratmalana air base in Colombo Monday afternoon for Jaffna, an airport official said.

Civilian flights to Jaffna came to be ceased with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) mounting attacks on the government troops in the northern Jaffna peninsula on Aug. 11.

After the troops successfully thwarted the LTTE attacks in Jaffna the defense ministry approved the resumption of civilian flights to Jaffna last week.

However, the two private operators were not willing to conduct flights last week.

With the outbreak of hostilities a large number of civilians were trapped in the Jaffna peninsula.

The resumption of flights is expected to ease the travel problems between Colombo and Jaffna as the main highway between the two cities is yet to come into normal operations.

The International Committee of the Red Cross has arranged a civilian ferry through the eastern port of Trincomalee to bring trapped civilians out of Jaffna.

The government last week said another civilian ferry is to be arranged this week.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2006)