Two Forestry workers found dead in Mankulam jungle

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 May 2006, 11:14 GMT]
Two civilian employees of Forestry Resources Protection unit attached to the civil administration in Vanni, were found shot dead in Panikkankulam jungle, 5 km west of A9 road northwest of Mankulam Tuesday. The employees who went to the jungle Tuesday, 02 May, were reported missing on 05 May, Tamileelam Police official of Mankulam Thunukkai area, Mr. Vijayakumar said. The decomposed bodies had bullet wounds. The police found four empty cases from the location.

The Tamileelam police has registered at least three incidents of civilians sighting Sri Lanka Army (SLA) personnel and paramilitaries from Deep Penetration Unit in black and military uniform infiltrating the Panichchankulam jungle area 12, 7 and 5 days earlier, the Police official said.

The victims were identified as Veerakody Somarasa, 60, from Thiruvaiyaru in Kilinochchi and Thoppilan Periyasamy, 58, from Kilinochchi.

The bodies have been brought to the Kilinochchi Government Hospital. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) Liason Officer to Kilinochchi, Mr. Matti Vainionpaa, visited Kilinochchi Hospital, visited the Hospital to inspect the bodies, sources in Kilinochchi said.