Dozens killed in blasts

[TamilNet, Monday, 02 October 2000, 13:54 GMT]
At least 20 people including a candidate of the ruling People's Alliance (PA) for the Trincomalee electorate were killed Monday at 6.30 p.m. in a bomb blast at an election meeting at the Cultural Centre of Mutur, Police said. Forty-five people, including 7 policemen were wounded. The candidate Mohammed Lathif Faithullah was the Officer in Charge of the Police Intelligent service in Trincomalee district, said sources.

The police said the the explosion was caused by a LTTE suicide bomber. Two body guards of Mohammed Lathif Faithullah were among the dead. The wounded were rushed to the Trincomalee hospital.

Meanwhile the Amnesty International issued a press release Monday night, condemning the attack at Muttur. The Amnesty said "the large majority of those killed were civilians and it is clear that their killing was in violation of international humanitarian law."

Earlier, three vehicles belonging to the International Committee of the Red cross were damaged at Muttur by protestors who were demanding the organisation to find three computers which were stolen from Muttur Central College on Saturday.

In a separate incident, four military trained policemen who were traveling in a jeep were injured when a bomb exploded at Kaluthaavalai, 18 km. south of Batticaloa around 4.30 p.m. Monday, security sources said.

The bomb was concealed in a bicycle parked on the road side police said. The explosion occurred on the Batticaloa-Kaluwanchikudi main road.

The policemen retaliated by firing indiscriminately residents told TamilNet sources in the eastern town.

A 14-year old boy was killed and a civilian was seriously injured in the incident.

The civilian who was injured in the incident was identified as Ilayathambi Ganesan,42. He has been admitted at the Batticaloa hospital.

The wounded policemen have been admitted to the Ampara hospital, the sources said.