2ND LEAD (Adds details)

Trincomalee students died of gunshot wounds- Medical Report

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 04 January 2006, 11:47 GMT]
Dr.Gamini Gunatunge, Judicial Medical Officer who held the postmortem examination held in the Trincomalee general hospital on the bodies of five Tamil youths killed on Tuesday by the State armed forces in Trincomalee sea beach area, ruled that the students died due to gunshot injuries. The JMO's report has been handed over to the Trincomalee Magistrate's Court.

Unidentified men who came in a three-wheeler threw a grenade at a group of students gathered at the sea beach first, and members of armed forces who followed the three-wheeler in a vehicle assaulted the students and shot them dead in an execution-style killing, according to student witnesses who escaped from the scene.

The Trincomalee Magistrate visited the scene of the crime later Tuesday and found bullet ridden bodies on the road, according to legal sources.

Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) who probed the killing immediately after the incident also had found evidence that the five Tamil students died due to shooting.

The SLMM brought this matter to the notice of SLA authorities, sources said.

Meanwhile, Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has lodged a complaint with the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that the Sri Lanka armed forces are trying to create instability in the Trincomalee district by unleashing violence against Tamil people.

Tuesday massacre of Tamil students had been executed by the State armed forces in a deliberate manner toward this objective, said Mr.Elilan to Mr. Arthur Tveiten, SLMM head in Trincomalee.

Armed personnel who came in a green-colored three-wheeler threw two grenades at students gathered at the sea beach and proceeded towards the Fort Frederick where a regiment of the Sri Lanka Army is located. Thereafter members of armed forces arrived at the spot in another vehicle assaulted the students and shot them through their heads individually, Mr.Elilan told the SLMM.