2ND LEAD (CORRECTIONS, UPDATE)

Three Tamil civilians shot dead in Vavuniya

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 11 April 2007, 21:16 GMT]
A group of armed men, alleged to be paramilitary cadres working for the Sri Lanka Army, shot dead three persons, a 20-year-old boy, a 48-year-old man and 68-year-old woman, and injured two at Kumankulam in Vavuniya Wednesday evening around 5:45. There have been at least five similar killings where 10 persons have been killed in the villages surrounding Veppankulam military camp.

A victim, Chandrakumar Rajakopal, 20, was on his way to grocery, according to his mother. Wife of another victim, Arulappu Ketheeswaran, 48, said her husband was shot when he went out to make a telephone call.

The third victim was identified as Subramaniam Chandramathy, 68.

The attackers had hit a shop owner in the vincinty with gun butts.

Vavuniya District Judge Manickavasagar Ilancheliyan, clarifying details from the military commander in charge of the area Thursday on the killings was not satisfied with the response and asked the commander how military officials in Colombo were able to issue newsreports while their commander in the area had no idea of the perpetrators.

Vavuniya Police on Wednesday claimed that three Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres were shot dead in a playground in Kumankulam. The police had further claimed that they had recovered arms from the victims.

The killers were Tamil speaking paramilitary cadres employed by the Sri Lanka Army, alleged the relatives of the victims.

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