Sister and brother shot dead in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Sunday, 27 August 2006, 23:45 GMT]
Armed men shot and killed two members of the same family Saturday 08:15 p.m. on Udhayan Street, Sithandy, in Batticaloa district. The killings have taken place in the wake of two separate shootout incidents, on Friday and Saturday, in the area where 2 Sri Lanka Army troopers were injured when a group of attackers fired at road clearing patrol units of the SLA.

The civilian victims, the brother and sister who had come to visit their sick mother, were identified as Sinnarasa Wimalakumari, 44, and Sinnarasa Ratnavel, 36.

Armed men who approached their hours called them out by name. When the sister and brother answered the door, both were gunned down at close range, neighbours said.

The killings took place in Batticaloa Eravur Police division Sithandy, located 20 km northwest of Batticaloa town.

The bodies of the deceased have been sent to Eravur hospital, Police said.

The killings have taken place in the wake of two attacks on SLA troopers in the area.

An SLA soldier, K.M.Sisirakumara was wounded around 05:15 p.m., 3 hours before the killings, in a shootout near Vanthaumoolai school, 3 km southeast of Sithandy.

The SLA troopers had launched a cordon and search operation in the area after the shootout.

On Friday, an SLA trooper, W. Vasanthakumara, 34, had sustained injuries when a group of gunmen attacked a road clearing patrol of the SLA, around 5:15 p.m in Mavadivembu, Nagarkovil area. The soldier was admitted to the Polonnaruva hospital.

Mavadivembu is located 2 km east of Sithandy.