Wounded blame Sinhala police, home guards

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 October 2002, 03:10 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Interior Minister Mr. John Amaratunge Sunday visited Trincomalee to review the situation in the east port town following the killings of three Tamil civilians and wounding of up to sixty others by Sinhala paramilitaries and security forces.

Later he went to the Trincomalee general hospital where he saw injured Tamil civilians being treated. All the wounded people told the minister and his officials that the Police and home guards attacked them with grenades on Friday.

Minister John Amaratunge talking to a victim at the Trincomalee hospital.

All of the injured admitted at the hospital are Tamils, as were those who died, medical officials said.

Some of the victims told the Minister's party that they could identify the police and home guards who attacked them. One of the injured named a police personnel who attacked him to the minister in the presence of senior police officials from Trincomalee.

Ministers Gamini Lokuge, T. Maheswaran and Trincomalee district parliamentarian Mr. M. A. M. Maharoof accompanied Mr. Amaratunge to the hospital.