Police Constable injured, troops recover claymore in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 July 2006, 10:23 GMT]
A Sri Lankan police constable was injured when unidentified persons fired at a sentry post located between Valaichchenai bus terminal and the office of the Assistant Superintendent of Police in Batticaloa district, around 7 p.m., Saturday, police said.

The injured policeman, Ratnayake,35, was admitted at the Valaichchenai district hospital and later transferred to Colombo national hospital, the police said.

The attacker fled when the police men opened up with retaliatory fire, they said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Army soldiers on patrol recoved a claymore mine fixed to a tree along Siththandy Road in Eravur Police Division in Batticaloa district, around 12:30 p.m., Saturday. The claymore was later defused by army bomb disposal squad, Eravur police said.

The claymore mine had been placed targeting the truck transporting soldiers who had been on leave from Batticaloa to Pollonaruwa, according to the Eravur police.

Siththandy is located about 16 k.m. north of Batticaloa town.