SLA deserters provoke alert

[TamilNet, Friday, 02 January 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Police in the island's southern district went on alert from the early hours of the morning yesterday for three SLA deserters and their thirty member gang which shot dead a Police constable and wounded three Policemen and an armed auxiliary force guard on new year's eve. The gang got away with two assault rifles and ammunition.

The condition of two constables who were wounded in the attack is said to be serious.

Polices sources say that two of the deserters are brothers and one was attached to the Weeravila army camp in the southern province.

Sri Lankan Intelligence is exploring a possible JVP (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna) involvement in Wednesday night's attack.

The Sri Lankan President indirectly warned the JVP while addressing a meeting at Galle on Tuesday for dallying with the idea of taking to violence again.

The JVP has strongly denied the government's allegations.

The organisation says that the government is using this allegation as a pretext to crush its growing political power. The JVP has also sought an urgent meeting with the President to clarify these issues.

The JVP is a militant left wing Sinhala revolutionary group that led two bloody insurrections to capture state power.