SLA arrests 31 civilians in Eravur

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 April 2007, 10:41 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and police arrested 29 men and 2 women, in a cordon and search operation conducted Saturday around 4:00 p.m in Palacholai, Kaluvankerny and neighbouring areas in Eravur police division in Batticaloa. The SLA, after interrogating the arrested civilians, handed them over to Eravur police around 7:00 p.m, for further investigation, sources in Eravur said. The arrested are detained at Earvur police station.

The areas where the search was conducted were places where a great number of internally displaced people (IDPs) from Vaharai, Sampoor and Paduvankarai areas had sought refuge.

The SLA claimed that they conducted the search on a tip off that the residents of the area had connections with armed men.

The SLA troopers and police personnel, going from house to house, checked the national identity cards of the residents and searched the houses.

Meanwhile, 2 of the 27 civilians arrested in a similar cordon and search Wednesday evening in Sithandy, Murakottanchenai and Santhiveli areas, are still detained at Eravur police station.

Kaluvankerny is located 17 km northeast of Batticaloa.