Monument unveiled for police KIA

[TamilNet, Friday, 22 January 1999, 16:03 GMT]
Senior DIG of the Sri Lankan Police, T.E Anantharajah unveiled a monument erected in memory of policemen killed in the ethnic conflict since 1984 at the Trincomalee Headquarters Police Station this morning. The monument has been erected for the 200 policemen who were killed in the Trincomalee police division from August 1984 to September 1998.

The most senior policeman to be killed in the conflict was a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP). Twelve Sub-Inspectors, 185 constables and 2 police drivers died due to the conflict during this period said Trincomalee Police Headquarters sources today.

The Trincomalee police division comprises the Headquarters Police station, the harbour Police station, Uppuveli Police station, China Bay Police station (these are located in the eastern port town and its immediate environs) Kuchchaveli Police station, Morawewa (formerly the Tamil village of Muthaliyakulam) Police station, Mutur Police station, Kanthalai Headquarters Police station, Vaan Ela (formerly the Tamil village of Vaan Aaru near Kanthalaai) Police station and the Serunuwara Police station.

The Headquarters Police station at Kanthalaai has been established with the aim of eventually establishing a separate Sinhala majority district in that region said Tamil political sources Trincomalee.

The unveiling ceremony was conducted wholly in Sinhalese, though many police officers, including the DIG, who attended were Tamils.

The senior DIG T.Anantharajah read out the chief guest's address in Sinhalese.

Sri Lanka's Inspector General of Police was originally scheduled to unveil the monument.