News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 September 2000, 20:48 GMT]
Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) army soldiers are wounded in Nelliady, the estate workers to go on strike demanding pay increase and a tamil youth is wounded when Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) shoots at fishermen.

Grenade attack wounds soldiers

Two Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were wounded in a grenade attack by suspected members of the Liberation Tigers at Nelliyadi, about 25 km. northeast of Jaffna town, Saturday morning sources said.

Elsewhere in the northern peninsula the Liberation Tigers and the government troops exchanged artillery fire in Ariyalai-Colombuthurai on the southwestern coast, said sources.

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Estate workers demand pay increase

The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) has announced that about five hundred thousand estate workers in the hill country would go on strike demanding the payment of 400 rupees as an interim increase of salary announced by the government.

Already the public servants and private sector employees are being the interim salary increase of 400 rupees. But the estate workers are not paid this increase.

Meanwhile some upcountry trade unions have already issued ultimatum to the government that estate workers would go on strike if they were not paid this increase before September 17.

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SLN fire wounds tamil youth

A Tamil youth Jeevachelvan was wounded when Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) fired at a group of fishermen in the Trincomalee sea in the early hours of Saturday.

Fishermen were fishing in an area controlled of the Sri Lanka Navy when a gunboat suddenly appeared at the scene around 3 a.m. and started firing, sources said.

The wounded fisherman was from Thirukadaloor.