Civilians caught in SLA fire

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 May 1998, 23:59 GMT]
A girl was killed and at least two others injured when the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fired at random, immediately after a claymore mine blast killed five members of the Peoples' Liberation Organisation Tamil Eelam's (PLOTE), including Das, its local military commander in the Vauniya District, said sources.

The mine exploded at Kovilkulam, 2 km from Vavuniya near the Vavuniya - Horowapatana Road at around 01.15 p.m. today, said sources in Vavuniya.

The vehicle of Manikam Dasan, PLOTE's military wing leader and the group's second in command, had passed the spot only a few minutes before the explosion, said sources.

The identity of the attackers remains a mystery with the attack having occurred within the high security zone in Vavuniya town, said sources.

The SLA central camp is about half a mile from Uma Maheswaran Road where the explosion took place. Two hundred yards awayfrom the blast point itself is a checkpoint manned by the SLA, while the PLOTE camp is also nearby.

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