Two EPDP cadres shot dead in Vavuniya, official wounded in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 01 June 2006, 07:43 GMT]
Two EPDP cadres were shot and killed at Pandarikulam in Vavuniya Thursday morning, Vavuniya Police said. Meanwhile, media coordinator of the paramilitary group in Batticaloa, was wounded in a grenade explosion in Batticaloa EPPD office.

Sebastian Thavarasa, 37, and Arumugan Lokanathan Arivu, 19, were the EPDP members shot and killed by unidentified gunmen, early morning Thursday, Police said.

Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials rushed to the site.

Meanwhile, unidentified attackers lobbed a grenade at the office of the EPDP in Batticaloa, wounding the media coordinator of the group in Batticaloa, Kandiah Arumailingam, 63, Batticaloa Police said. The incident took place around 6:10 a.m.

The EPDP officie is located in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) high security area in Batticaloa.

The wounded EPDP official was transferred to Colombo from Batticaloa Hospital, medical sources said.

Eelam People's Democratic Party, EPDP, a party in the ruling coalition of SL President Mahinda Rajapakse, is a paramilitary working with the Sri Lankan forces in the Northeast.