Batticaloa tense amid killing and grenade attacks

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 21 May 2003, 16:41 GMT]
Batticaloa town was tense Wednesday night as an operative of the Sri Lanka army’s military intelligence was shot dead while a grenade was also lobbed at the residence of Mr. Indrakumar Prasanna, secretary general of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation (TELO). The TELO is a constituent of the Tamil National Alliance.

The town was deserted as SLA and Special Task force patrols surrounded the area where the intelligence operative was killed by an unidentified gunman around 8.45 p.m.

The military intelligence operative was identified only as ‘Master’. Police sources in Batticaloa said ‘Master was formerly a member of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam.

Police sources said the grenade lobbed at Mr.Prasanna's residence cum shop did not explode.

Meanwhile, a civilian was wounded in a grenade attack at Adigar Road in the heart of Batticaloa town 7.20 p.m. The civilian, identified as Jerome was wounded in the explosion and was rushed to the Batticaloa hospital, Police sources said.