Tamil civilian killed in SLA fire

[TamilNet, Friday, 18 April 2003, 18:38 GMT]
A Tamil civilian identified as Maheswaran Ravishankar (32) of Chenaiyoor was killed in firing from the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) detachment based at Kattaiparichchan Friday afternoon increasing the death toll on Friday incidents in Muttur area to two. The firing incident took place soon the after the Defence Minister Mr.Tilak Marapone left Muttur after attending a conference at Kattaiparichchan SLA camp, police said.

The Tamil civilian killed in the earlier grenade attack has been identified as twenty five year old Tharmalingam Kamalathasan of Chenaiyoor. Fourteen Tamil civilians have been wounded in the grenade attack which took place a conference was being presided by the Defence Minister. At least seven of them now under treatment at the Trincomalee general hospital are reported to be in serious condition. One of the critically wounded Tamil civilians has already been sent to Kandy General Hospital for emergency treatment from Trincomalee general hospital, medical sources said,

Three persons- one Muslim and two Tamil civilians, have been killed in Muttur violence since Thursday, police said.

The Muslim civilian killed by firing on Thursday at Thoppur by a group has been identified as one forty-year-old Mohamed Deen. Several Muslim civilians were also wounded in incidents that took place at Thoppur Thursday evening. Thereafter several huts belonging to Muslims in the area are alleged to have been set on fire by another group. On Thursday night and Friday morning several houses belonging to Tamil people in Muttur town and its suburbs were burnt down by another group, police said.

At least fifty Tamil houses were burnt down in the group clashes in Muttur town alone, police said. About 1057 persons from 253 Tamil families have sought refuge at Muttur Christian church and other institutions in Sampoor, Muttur divisional secretariat sources said.