Parents of Tigers assaulted

[TamilNet, Sunday, 01 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
The STF cordoned off Thalankudah, about 9 kilometers south of Batticaloa, yesterday and herded the villagers to the local catholic church. Here, about ten families were singled out with the assistance of Sinnavan, a TELO cadre working in the STF camp at the Manmunai ferry 3 kilometers to west of Thalankudah.

These are families from which boys have joined the Liberation Tigers in the past.

The parents were severely beaten up in the church and have been harshly warned that they would have to pay dearly if the LTTE was reported to be in the area.

A youth who had been with the LTTE many years ago was also identified. He was tied ,hung up side down and was severely beaten up by the STF, said residents in the village.

The parents were instructed by the STF to report to the Manmunai camp every Sunday.

The STF in camps further south also rounded up civilians in the Villages of Mankaadu, Theythatheevu, Kurukkalmadam and Onthaachchi madam and warned them about the consequences of not reporting the activities of the Liberation Tigers in their villages.