Four in family killed, eight wounded in east

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 20 November 2001, 17:42 GMT]
Four persons of a family, including an eleven-year-old boy, were killed and eight civilians were wounded when military trained Police in Eravur, 14 kilometres north of Batticaloa, opened fire indiscriminately in the Tamil sector of the town Tuesday night around 8 p.m. The Police had opened fire on suspicion upon seeing a car near a sentry in the town. The car belonged to a lawyer who was visiting a friend in the area. Relatives were able to bring only the bodies of the boy, Pathmanathan Suresh, 11, and Sinnathamby Sellathamby, 60 to the Eravur hospital. The bodies of the boy’s parents are still lying in their house, residents said. Only four wounded persons were able to reach the hospital, sources said.

Policemen at security posts in divisions 4 and 5 of Eravur had opened up with assault rifles and mortars indiscriminately following the firing in which the four were killed. At least four persons injured by the Police firing are trapped in the affected area, residents said.

The four wounded persons who were able to reach the Eravur hospital are:

1. Kumarasamy Sasikumar, 22

2. Sinnathamby Kaliammah, 40

3. Kathirkamathamby Mala, 16

4. Sellathamby Selvi, 20