Tigers overrun police camp

[TamilNet, Monday, 26 October 1998, 01:34 GMT]
The Liberation Tigers overran a Sri Lankan Police mini-camp in the Batticaloa suburb of Maamangam last night. The camp, located within a high security zone, was completely destroyed and set on fire said police sources in the eastern town.

There were two platoons of military trained police personnel armed with machine guns, RPGs and other infantry weapons in the camp said the sources.

Casualty figures were not immediately available said the sources.

The attack began about 11.45 p.m. last night, and by midnight the Tigers had overrun the camp said sources.

Maamamangam is a suburb 3 kilometers east of the Batticaloa town. The suburb grew around a Tamil-Hindu temple that draws thousands of devotees to its water-cutting festival every year.

The camp that was overrun last night was within the temple grounds.

The Police imposed several limits and conditions on the annual Mamanagam festival after it moved into this camp which was set up in 1990 by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA).