Kanniya shocked over youth's killing

[TamilNet, Saturday, 22 April 2006, 12:31 GMT]
Resettled families in Kanniya, a traditional Tamil village in Trincomalee are shocked over the killing of 17 year-old Tamil youth Pakkiaraja Baskaran alias Batchcha allegedly by soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Friday nigh, civil sources said. His body was recovered near Barathipuram located close to Mihindupra Saturday morning,

According to residents of Kanniya, soldiers in Kanniya SLA camp around 6,30 p.m. took the deceased into custody when he was returning home after playing. Residents thereafter heard cries of the youth from the army camp.

Local residents had later surrounded the camp and demanded that the boy be released. There was no response from the army. Later around 9 p.m. on Friday gunshots were heard from the army camp. Thereafter a vehicle left the camp towards the direction of the Trincomalee town, residents complained to civil authorities.

Pakkiyawathy, mother of Baskaran and widow of Pakkiaraja, Saturday morning received information that her son's body was lying along the road near Barathipuram passing the Government Technical College located on the border of Mihindapura, residents told civil authorities.

275 families have been resettled in Kanniya village, which is well known for its hot springs.

Of the 275, hundred families have been resettled in Kanniya, 125 in Managaiootu and 50 in Killikunchcumalai. With the killing of the youth, most of the resettled families are preparaing to leave the village after the funeral of the youth, reports reaching Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) said.

TRO is responsible for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the village, which was devastated by the two-decade-old war, since the signing of the ceasefire agreement. Infrastructure development projects are under implementation in the village, TRO sources said.

Kanniya is located 8 km northwest of Trincomalee town along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura road.