Arrests follow Colombo blast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 06 January 2000, 12:43 GMT]
Officials from the Criminal Investigation Department Thursday arrested the parents of Thilakaratne Yasotha,22, who is believed to have triggered the blast at Flower Road in Colombo Wednesday, the police said. The arrests took place at Akkaraipattu in the Ampara District, the police said.

The police said the couple, Antony Thilakeratne and Appuhamy Leelawathy, have been taken to Colombo for further investigation.

During the initial inquires, the parents had said their daughter left home on 17 July 1998 to join the Sri Lanka Army, and that had not heard any thing from her since then, said police sources.

Meanwhile in Colombo, about 150 Tamil people were arrested in a joint cordon and search operation by the Sri Lanka Army soldiers and the police in the Pettah area, this morning said sources.