Gunmen attack Tamil youths in East, two killed, eight wounded

[TamilNet, Friday, 07 October 2005, 16:36 GMT]
Two Tamil youths, one of them a 14 year old boy, were killed and eight others were seriously wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire and charged grenade at them Friday around 6:45 p.m. in Valaichenai. The victims, a group of young carpenters and masons, were attacked when they went to collect their daily wages at a retail shop at Fourth Cross Street at Vinayagapuram, 32 km north of Batticaloa town. The attackers fled the area on push bicycles, eyewitnesses told TamilNet.

Selvarajah Selvakumar (14) and Arumugam Paramanathan (26) died on the spot.

S. Thivakaran, 16, M. Sabesan, 17, N. Kangalingam, 18, R. Seelan, 20, K. Baskaran, 21, P. Thayanantha, 23 and P. Anantharajah, 23, were seriously injured and rushed to Valaichenai and Batticaloa Hospitals.

Two unidentified attackers fled the scene after attacking the youth, sources added.

The motive of the killings is not clear, according to Valaichenai Police.