UNP office smashed

[TamilNet, Sunday, 19 December 1999, 12:22 GMT]
The UNP office at Eravur, 15 km. north of Batticaloa, was smashed by unidentified men around midnight yesterday said United National Party parliamentarian Alisagir Maulana.

He said the attackers have destroyed banners and posters at the office, and put up posters of Chandrika Kumaratunga and A. H. M. Ashraf.

Meanwhile unidentified gunmen fired at Meera Issadeen, 46, the president of the Ampara Coastal Area Journalists' Association, at Akkaraipattu around 8 p.m. last night, said sources. However, he did not sustain any injuries.

Meera Issadeen said unidentified men had earlier threatened to kill him, when he refused to give video film taken at a demonstration against Ranil Wickremasinghe. He said he lodged a complaint with the police on December 15 about this incident.

He was shot at last night when he was on his way to visit her mother.

This is the first time an attempt had been made on the life a journalist in the eastern province, a senior media man said.