Vavuniya MP escapes attack

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 June 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Unidentified gunmen attacked the residence of Mr. Vaithialingam Balachandran, Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF) member of Parliament for Vavuniya, at Pandaarikulam, 1.5 km from Vavuniya town, yesterday evening around 6.45 p.m, said PLOTE sources. The MP escaped unhurt in the attack.

A Policeman attached to the MP's security who was seriously injured when the attackers opened fire and lobbed a grenade died at the Vavuniya Hospital last night, said sources.

The gunmen, according to PLOTE sources, had come in a van hijacked earlier in the day at Koomankulam, another suburb of Vavuniya town.

They said that although the attackers had entered the MP's house and opened fire his wife and children were not hurt. The house has been damaged by the grenade and firing.

PLOTE sources blamed the Liberation Tigers for the attack.

The Police and the army rushed to the spot soon after the attack and conducted a search operation. No one, however, was arrested on suspicion, sources said.

The firing and the explosion scared people away from the streets of Vavuniya town. Shops were closed and the town became empty as residents rushed home said sources.