Sri Lanka arms Serunuwara Sinhala residents for "self-defense"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 May 2006, 17:04 GMT]
Several hundred Tamil families displaced from their villages in the Serunuwara police division in the Trincomalee district and sought refuge in Liberation Tigers held Muttur east have expressed fear to return as Sinhala villagers surrounding their area have been provided with arms by the Seri Lanka government's security establishment for "self-defense," sources said.

Since the outbreak of violence in Trincomalee town and its suburbs on April 12 and later spread to down south of Muttur division about 17,958 members of 4647 families of villages Menkamam, Kanguvely, Mallikatheivu and Pattithidal have sought refuge in Muttur east. The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) is giving them shelter and food till they return to their own villages in Serunuwara division, sources said.

The displaced have expressed their fear to TRO and LTTE local leaders that they should not be forced to return to their villages in Serunuwara division as all Sinhalese villagers there have been provided with arms by the government for self defense. Hence they should be allowed to stay in Muttur east till their safety is assured, sources in Muttur east said.