HRC inquiry into Mutur troubles

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 09 July 2002, 02:08 GMT]
Officials from the Human Rights Commission (HRC) held discussions Monday in Trincomalee with police officials, members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and civil authorities regarding the destruction of the Liberation Tigers’ political office in Mutur area and the communal violence that followed. The meeting was held at the regional office of the HRC, sources said.

The HRC team is to visit Mutur Tuesday to meet representatives of the affected people. A discussion will be held at Mutur division secretariat Tuesday morning.

Following reports from local HRC officials, a team led by HRC commissioner Ms Manouri Muttetuwagama arrived in Trincomalee Monday afternoon on a two-day visit.

The officer in charge of the Mutur Police and civil authorities gave details of the background of the violence as did representatives of the affected Trincomalee district youth development organisation, sources said.

Disturbances erupted in Mutur during the latter part of June following the destruction of cement built crosses on the hillock of Pachchanoor, 9 km. south of of Mutur town. The next day the political office of the LTTE in Muttur was damaged. LTTE officials said that an Islamic fundamentalist group was responsible for the attack on their office.