Batticaloa police post attacked

[TamilNet, Thursday, 20 November 1997, 23:59 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers attacked a Sri Lankan Police post in a suburb of the Batticaloa town around 10.50 p.m. last night. One military trained Policeman was killed and two were injured in the attack.

The Police post is at Ramakrishnapuram in Kallady which is a high security area.

Heavy firing was reported in the area for more than two hours following the attack.

The LTTE's attack group is said to have withdrawn across the lagoon. Some weapons have been removed from the Kallady Police post.

The area was cordoned off and searched soon after the incident.

Unconfirmed reports said that twenty five people have been arrested. The army and police also rounded up several other suburbs of Batticaloa town in the early hours of the morning today.

The area comprising Iruthayapuram, Gnanasuriyam square, Thandavanveli and Chandra Lane was cordoned off from 5.30 a.m. this morning and searched until 10 a.m.

School children and government and private sector workers were permitted to leave the area after clearing their identity with the army and Police.

The army and Police in the Batticaloa district have been put on red alert for Mavverar week.

The cordon and search was carried out on information that another LTTE group was in the Iruthayapuram area.