Srimavopura attacks threaten civilian travel in Trincomalee

[TamilNet, Sunday, 11 September 2005, 15:38 GMT]
Representations have been made to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee to ensure safety to Tamil and Muslim civilians who travel to and from north of Trincomalee passing through Srimavopura, a suburb an about one km north of the east port town from being attacked by Sinhala mobs. Civil groups have complained to the SLMM that Tamil and Muslim civilians are attacked at Srimavopura junction by Sinhalese gangs in the presence of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and policemen of the Sri Lanka Police (SLP), sources said.

On Wednesday and Thursday Tamils and Muslims have been attacked by Sinhala mobs at Srimavopura junction in the presence of government security forces, civil sources said.

SLA and SLP have sentry points and put up roadblocks in Srimavopura junction.

Pedestrians, push cyclists, motor cyclists and passengers traveling in and buses and vehicles to Trincomalee town from Uppuveli, Nilaveli, Sambaltheivu, Kuchchaveli and other Tamil villages of the north of the district and vice versa are subjected to close body checks and interrogation at this junction, sources said.

Soon after Tamil and Muslim civilians alight from buses and other vehicles to produce themselves for body check and interrogation by the security forces, the Sinhala mobs at the site start assaulting them for no reason, affected passengers said.

Tamil and Muslim people now are avoiding traveling through Srimavopura junction but taking alternate route through Mattikali road to north of the town. Even that route is also considered not safe for minority communities following an incident that took place last week where a Hindu priest and his aide were injured when soldiers fired at them soon after the explosion of grenade, civil groups complain.

Civil groups have urged that only permanent presence of few monitors of SLMM at the Srimavopura junction will ensure safety to Tamil and Muslim civilians, sources said.