Search for abducted soldier futile

[TamilNet, Sunday, 05 March 2000, 20:08 GMT]
A Sri Lanka Army soldier of an ambush unit was abducted by the Liberation Tigers at Thoppur, 14 km. south of Mutur town in the Trincomalee district this morning, police sources said.

A subsequent search operation by the troops to trace the missing soldier had proved futile, the sources said.

Military sources said security in the eastern port town has been tightened following series of attacks by the Liberation Tigers during past two weeks. Last week 22-1 Brigade Commander, Lt. Colonel Piyal Abeyasekara, escaped with minor injuries in a suicide attack in the heart of the town.

Meanwhile the Liberation Tigers attacked the Special Task Force (STF) camp at Kachchirankudah in Pottuvil in the south-eastern Ampara district with small arms and mortars, security sources said.

The Tigers fired five mortars, but only one fell inside the camp. No casualties were reported, sources said.