Trincomalee tense

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 May 2005, 10:37 GMT]
Tensions escalated in Trincomalee after one person was injured Friday at 12.30pm following an explosion close to the vegetable near the site where the controversial Buddha statue stands and at least three persons were admitted to the Trincomalee general hospital with cut injuries Friday in incidents that took place in the suburbs of the town, security sources in Trincomalee said.



Tamil residents from Division 10 held sit in protest in front of SLMM Trincomalee office, 20 May 2005.



Police said they have arrested a person related to the explosion near the vegetable market.

Normal life in the Trincomalee town was disrupted for the fourth day Friday as business establishments, schools, banks, government and provincial council offices were closed down in response to the call for a general shut down demanding the removal of a Buddha statue from a land close to the bus stand and used for parking three wheelers, police said.

SLMM monitors, Mr.Soren Wium-Andersen and Ms Ane Rvaal.

Earlier Thursday around midnight two bombs were thrown at the building of the Vivekananda Fisheries Society, which is located along Ehambaram Road in the main bazaar area of the east port town. The society building, houses and boats in the vicinity were damaged, according to the society sources.

A group of Tamil residents including large number of women of Division No 10 area where the Vivekananda Fisheries Society is located Friday held a sit in protest in front of the Trincomalee office of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) demanding that SLMM to take steps to provide maximum security to their area, sources said.

Later a three member-delegation of the group met with the SLMM monitors and placed their grievances. SLMM monitors led by Mr.Soren Wium-Andersen promised that they would take appropriate action on their complaint. SLMM monitors there after visited the site where the explosion took place, sources said.