Tamil labour settlement attacked

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 September 1998, 18:16 GMT]
The situation in the Ratnapura district continued to be volatile as Sinhala mobs attacked another Tamil labour settlement in the Benegoda estate.

Trade union sources in the area said this afternoon that hundreds of Tamil worker families that had fled into the jungles in fear are yet to return to their estates.

The funeral of the two Sinhalese who were killed in Wewelwatta took place today amidst fears that it might lead to another round of Sinhala mob violence against Tamil estate workers.

The government deployed about 400 SLA personnel along with the Police in the trouble areas.

But Tamils hiding in the jungles are refusing to come back because they do not trust the Police to give them protection, said a CWC official in Ratnapura. He said there are heavy rains and the workers are holed up in the jungles without food or shelter.

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