Bomb blast damages Batticaloa TRO Office

[TamilNet, Saturday, 14 December 2002, 14:18 GMT]
Investigations are in progress on the bomb blast that damaged the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) building in Batticaloa town Thursday alleged to have been carried out by groups opposed to Liberation Tigers (LTTE) operating in Batticaloa area, sources from the Eastern town said.

TRO officials said the attack was carried out around 8.45pm Thursday when there was widespread electricity outtage in Batticaloa town and surrounding areas. The officials indicated that the building suffered minor damage and no one was injured in the attack.

The Batticaloa police and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) are conducting investigations but have not yet identified the culprits, sources said.

The TRO office in Batticaloa was opened soon after the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) and the LTTE. TRO has been involved in attending to the needs of the poor sections of the Tamil people during the two decades of war mainly operating from Vanni, but has now opened offices in other areas including Colombo.