Civilian seriously injured

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 April 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Adakkan Velayutham (57), a resident of Kalkudah, 32 km north of Batticaloa, lost his right eye and ear from Sri Lanka Army gunfire, while he was sleeping at home last night, said sources in Valaichenai. Hearing the firing he had awoken and found that he was bleeding.

Since it was night, Velayutham had gone to the SLA camp at Kalkudah, from where the firing had come, to obtain permission to go to hospital. But permission was not granted.

He was able to go to the Batticaloa Hospital only in the morning, where on admission it was found that a stray bullet had pierced his right eye and come out of his right ear. He has lost the use of both organs.