Trinco traders call off protest, open shops

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 07 February 2006, 17:28 GMT]
Traders in Trincomalee town called off their protest and opened their business establishments Tuesday following the arrest of three suspects, all of them from the majority community who were alleged to be involved in the assault of Muslim businessmen Sunday night. Muslim and Tamil traders in the Sinnakadai bazaar area closed their shops Monday in protest to the assault and went in procession to the Trincomalee Police Headquarters, sources said.

The Police immediately organized a conference attended by traders of all three communities. Traders complained that three persons had assaulted some Muslim employees asking them not to open their shops on Monday as they had called for a general shut down. No such general shut down was held Monday, sources said.

Traders told the Police that immediately they complained to the army soldiers guarding the area at the site about the assault but they did not take any action to arrest the suspects. Traders requested the Police to post police personnel in the bazaar area-replacing members of State armed forces, sources said.