Youth killed by New year gunfire

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 January 2000, 10:41 GMT]
A 18 year-old Tamil youth, Rasalingam Sooriyaprabakaran, who sustained injuries in Batticaloa, when the Police and the Army opened fire to celebrate the dawn of the new Millenium, died at Colombo National Hospital on Sunday morning, medical sources said.

Rasalingam Sooriyaprabakaran of Sixth Cross Street in Iruthayapuram, Batticaloa, was employed at a car garage. He was talking to his friends in front of his house, when he was struck by a bullet fired by the security forces, sources said.

He was immediately transferred to the Colombo National Hospital as his condition was critical. He succumbed to injuries without regaining consciousness, sources said.

Sources in Batticaloa said the Government troops, police and members of paramilitary groups fired at random to celebrate the new year.

Also in Vavuniya, a young woman was wounded by a stray bullet when SriLanka Army soldiers fired gunshots to mark the birth of the new year.

The woman, Krishnakala,33, of Thonikkal, was admitted to the Vavuniy hospital.