Electricity, telephone service to Muttur cut off

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 August 2006, 17:44 GMT]
The Sri Lankan government has cut off the supply of electricity to Muttur town and other villages in the Muttur division from Tuesday since the fighting broke out between the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). From Thursday noon telephone service to Muttur town has also been cut off, Muttur civilians arrived in Trincomalee Thursday evening with injured civilians said. Telephone communications were severed after the artillery attack on Muttur Arabic College and Thoppur Al-Noor Mahavidiyalayam where twenty two Muslim civilians who sought refuge were killed, and sixty nine injured, sources there said.

A Muslim trader in Trincomalee said his wife and children were staying in the Muttur Arabic College which was hit by artillery shell Thursday morning.

"I have come to the Trincomalee general hospital to inquire about my family in Muttur Arabic College from the injured admitted for treatment. I have no other way to know the fate of my family in Muttur," said Mr. Mr.Mohamed.

"Authorities should take immediate steps to stop the aerial and artillery attack in Muttur. We do not want anything," he added.

Meanwhile, about 250 Muslim families stranded in Trincomalee town following fighting that broke out between the army and LTTE on Tuesday are given shelter in Trincomalee Zahira Muslim College. These families arrived in Trincomalee to attend their family affairs and official duties before the fighting broke out, sources said.