Tigers dismiss allegations over Valaichenai incident

[TamilNet, Monday, 08 November 2004, 13:12 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa Monday dimissed allegations that they were behind a grenade attack on the vehicle of Sri Lanka army's 23-2 Brigade commander in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa. In a statement issued to the press Monday evening, they condemned the attack and said the Sri Lankan government should investigate and bring the culprits to book as the incident had occured in an area under its control. Earlier in the day, Police and civil sources in Valaichenai said that the attack was aimed at two paramilitary cadres who were shopping in the town bazaar.

The brigade commander's vehicle was hit by some shrapnel from the grenade, Police and truce monitoring sources said.

The LTTE statement blamed "traiterous elements bent on disrupting the cease fire" for the attack.

"We remain firmly committed to the cease fire despite such insidious attempts by traiterous anti national elements to precipitate a confrontation between the Sri Lanka army and us", the Tigers said in the statement.