Extortion demands petrify Kandy Tamil traders

[TamilNet, Thursday, 23 April 2009, 15:31 GMT]
Tamil traders in Kandy town are reported to have been threatened by paramilitaries of Karuna group by telephone, demanding extortion from one hundred thousand rupees to five hundred thousand rupees per head, according to media reports quoting Kandy Tamil Traders’ Association. Kandy Tamil Traders’ Association held an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening to explore ways to respond to the threats.



However, the secretary to Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, alias Karuna Amman, had denied the allegation and had responded that Karuna had no office or branch of his party in Kandy, media reports further stated.

Kandy Tamil Traders Association has brought this matter to the notice of Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and the Inspector General of Police.