Houses burn, as Tamil villagers flee in Muttur

[TamilNet, Friday, 21 April 2006, 17:17 GMT]
Fourteen houses, eight shops, one tractor, five two-wheel tractors, three motorbikes belonging to Tamil people in Menkamam and adjacent Tamil villages in Seruvila division were burnt down by Sinhala thugs following the two claymore mine attacks on Sri Lanka government forces Friday morning and afternoon. Sinhala mobs forcibly entered Tamil houses in these villages, ransacked the houses and looted jewellery from Tamil women. Hundreds of Tamil families have started fleeing for safety seeking refuge elsewhere, sources from Killiveddy said.

Mr.K.Thurairatnasingham, Trincomalee district parliamentarian immediately contacted the high level police officers and requested to take immediate steps to prevent further attacks on Tamil villagers, sources said.

Several Tamil families in Menkamam village have sought refuge in schools and public buildings, sources said.

Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) rushed to the site on receipt of complains of the attacks, sources said.