15 Tamils, 5 Muslims arrested in Gampaha

[TamilNet, Saturday, 09 February 2008, 02:00 GMT]
Nineteen Tamils and five Muslims were taken into custody by the police in a cordon and search operation conducted in Gampaha town in the Colombo district from Thursday evening till Friday morning. The arrested are being detained in Gampaha police station and are being interrogated by the Terrorist Intelligence Division, Police sources in Gampaha said.

Police said all were arrested because they failed to provide their identity and to provide satisfactory reason for their stay in the location.

However, other sources said all arrested Tamils were residents of plantation areas in the central province and had been employed in several shops in Gampaha town at the time of arrest.