Gunmen kill EPDP cadre in east

[TamilNet, Thursday, 14 August 2003, 10:54 GMT]
A member of a Tamil paramilitary group was shot dead by unidentified persons in Batticaloa town Thursday. The gunmen who came on a bicycle got away, Police sources in the eastern town said.

According to the Police in Batticaloa, the dead person, Aarasaratnam Ratheeskaran, 32, was a long time member of the Eelam People's Democratic Party, a close ally of President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Ratheeskaran, a resident of Adigar Road, was riding a motorbike with a colleague near the private bus stand in the heart of Batticaloa town, when a cyclist had dashed across his path, making him fall.

The cyclists had then opened fire on Ratheeskaran with their pistols, killing him on the spot. His pillion rider escaped unhurt, Police said.

EPDP's Batticaloa leader, Paraneetharan Pratheepan, blamed the Liberation Tigers for the killing.

LTTE spokesman in Batticaloa, Mr. Krishan, denied the allegation.

Sri Lankan Police sources said they are investigating the killing.