A confrontation occurred in Jaffna between locals and a group of Sinhalese people who illegally harvested aloe vera plants from the coast of Ponnalai.
The group were seen harvesting the plants and loading them into a pickup truck by a group of Tamil youths at the seaside.
The Tamil youths confronted the group and contacted a member of the Valikamam West divisional council, who also came to the scene.
Although the group claimed to have obtained permission to harvest the aloe vera, they could not produce evidence when requested by the divisional council member.
The council member, aided by the local youths, seized the illegally harvested plants and issued a warning to the group, saying that a repeat offence would result in legal action.
“We will not allow outsiders to come and plunder our local resources,” the council member Mr Ponrasa said.
“I urge all residents to remain vigilant against such activities,” he said.
