Curfew in Mannar after attack on LTTE office

[TamilNet, Friday, 01 October 2004, 02:12 GMT]
Curfew was declared in Mannar Friday morning after a group of Muslims attacked the administrative office of the Liberation Tigers in the island town on Sri Lanka's northwestern coast around midnight. The attack was linked to the killing of a man suspected to be a drug smuggler on Thursday night near Pesalai, 15 kilometres west of Mannar. An LTTE official in Mannar said that the attack appeared to be aimed at instigating communal violence in the area. "No one was injured in the attacks on our office", he said.

The signboard of the LTTE's political office in Mannar town was damaged by another group of Muslims around midnight, Police said.

Two men were riding a motorbike from Mannar towards their village near Pesalai Thursday night around 8.30 when one of them, Mr. Faisal Saleem, was shot dead by gunmen who had trailed them on another motorbike.

The two men are from the coastal Muslim village of Karisal on the western part of Mannar island.

"Associates of the dead man gathered together and attacked the LTTE office on Moor Street when his body was brought to Mannar base hospital", a Police officer said.

Curfew would be in effect until 6 p.m. according to Mannar Police.