News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Sunday, 06 February 2000, 11:56 GMT]
Fishermen in Nallur scared to go to market, No electricity in Muttur, Two youths arrested in Batticaloa.

Fishermen in Nallur scared to go to market

Tamil fishermen in Nallur, a remote village in Muttur area, south of Trincomalee town find it difficult to market their produce, as Sri Lanka Army personnel are very often seen training on the jungle path they use to come to town, sources there said.

Nallur is a fishing village ten miles south of Muttur town. Fishermen there use the jungle path to come to Muttur town to sell their catch of fish and prawns.

There is an army camp close to the village. Army personnel are often seen in ambush in the shrub jungle along the path that leads to Muttur.

Fishermen fear that army personnel may shoot at them at any time under the pretext of attacking the Liberation Tigers. As a result, the people of Nallur have avoided travelling to Muttur to market their produce. Making enough money to run their day to day life has become a struggle, sources said.

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No electricity in Muttur

The entire Muttur area, south of Trincomalee has plunged into darkness since Friday due to the breakdown of electricity supply as a pylon in the Tiger-held village of Ralkuli had been damaged by heavy rains, residents said.

Electricity Board officials are now taking steps to contact the Liberation Tigers to repair the damaged pylon at Ralkuli, CEB sources said.

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Two youths arrested

Two youths were arrested by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers at Santhiveli in the Batticaloa District said sources.

The youths, V. Vijeyanantharajah, 23, and S. Thiruchelvam, 22, both from Kaluvankerny, were arrested on Tuesday. They have been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department, the sources said.