Security strengthened for students' funeral, hartal relaxed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 January 2006, 01:52 GMT]
Trincomalee residents in large numbers Wednesday paid their last respects to the five Tamil students killed Tuesday whose bodies were kept in their respective houses located in the east port town, sources in Trincomalee said. The students, all under the age of 20, were shot dead execution style by members of the Sri Lanka State armed forces Tuesday night at 7.50 p.m. in front of the Trincomalee Dutch Bay sea beach when they had gathered at the roundabout to spend the evening there.

On Thursday the bodies of the victims will be first brought to the grounds of the Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College from their houses and will be kept for public viewing on a stage specially constructed for the event, sources said.

Thereafter a condolence meeting will be held. Later the bodies will be taken to the Trincomalee Hindu Cemetery for burial, sources said.

The general shut down observed in Trincomalee town and its suburbs following the killings of Tamil students has been relaxed on Thursday to allow the people to participate in the funeral event, sources said.

Meanwhile, security has been strengthened in the Trincomalee town for the funeral of the dead students.

Residents complained that members of security forces had forcibly brought down black flags hoisted in their houses to express their sorrow over the deaths of students. Mr.R.Sampanthan, Trincomalee district parliamentarian immediately brought this matter to the notice of the army and police authorities in Trincomalee.